Line in the Sand
by ForgetMeNaught
Summary: The war is coming. Pick your side.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1, The Beginning

I haven't written anything for a good long time. I like to think that I've matured as a person and as a writer since then. But, I leave that to the readers, if any such creatures exist any longer. I've heard rumors that these marvelous things still wander the information sea, seeking out interesting information for nutrition, but I have yet to catch one feeding. I have a good feeling, though, that this will be a great success.

I present: Line in the Sand

_ The Story _

**Chapter 1, The Beginning**

**--  
**

"_Miracle City… a spicy cesspool that will soon be burned to the ground."_

The outskirts of Miracle City; but not quite as far out as Calavera. The warehouse wasn't even as far out as the desert. So, it was actually a rather good place for a meeting. Now, perhaps warehouse is the wrong word for the location. True, it was _once _a warehouse. But over the course of the harsh years of villain wars and day to day deviance, this ruined storage facility for week old churros was converted to a secret meeting place for a gang of ruthless thugs who had, for a time, succeeded in cornering that particular market. They now monopolize their own portion of a gutter. And here, "monopolize" means "rot in." Despite the gang's misfortune, the meeting hall continues to be put to good use. At the head of the table sits the man who summoned each of his esteemed contemporaries, visible only by the poor ambient light supplied by dingy, flickering fluorescent tubes nearly fifteen feet away from him. Needless to say, he is hardly visible at all. But that was equivalently hardly important. What mattered was what he told them, which is exactly what he thought about upon arriving in Miracle City for the first time. They remained clustered, huddle near each other on the far side of the table. He could hear them mutter. He could here them plot. Their doubt, their distrust… it was perfect. Finally, one stood.

"How exactly are you gonna' do that, man?"

Silence again, only this time paired not with curious gazes into the darkness, but stares of demand, and smiles that mocked this newcomer's gall. Who was this gringo to come to them and tell them something they already knew, something that they had longed planned? He only smiled back; though his guests could not see, they could feel it. The intensity of his delight was staggering and disturbing, though none present would admit that. There was the sound of a chair sliding across the filth ridden floor, followed by two steps and the creak of someone leaning against an old table.

"It's easy. We light it on fire."

And now an awkward silence; that was not the answer that any of them were looking for. El Oso smiled, looking first to Voltura, and then to everyone else. Only glares met his eyes, and when he looked to Voltura again she shook her head and punched him in the arm.

"That's not even close to being a good enough response!"

"Yeah! What she said man! Ow…"

A slight chuckle filled the air, but no one was paying enough attention to pick up any malice from it. The man in the dark scratched at the grime covered table, peeling away at years of unclean. That, of course, did not compare to the blood stains under his finger nails. He'd need a nail file for that nonsense. Who would have thought that gang members bleed that much?

"I think, my friends, that you should invest a few points in humor. That was intended to be a joke, after all. How do you burn things down? With fire. But, if you really want my plan, I first need something from you. You do remember what that is, don't you? It was the first thing I said after my comment about the burning the city to the ground."

No one did, because they were too busy thinking up responses of either a witty or arrogant form. Unfortunately, El Oso was the first to respond, setting a pace of non sophistication. But it didn't matter. He didn't care about that. He just wanted to know if they were going to be with him, or if Miracle City would have to die the old fashion way. But after another awkward pause, the man in the dark sighed. It was sad that no one was paying any attention to what he said. That's sort of the reason why his brain worked this way. There was muttering from his end of the table now, combined with more scratching. One woman was brave enough to disturb him; she scuttled forth, weapon in hand, peering through her orange visor in the dim room.

"I think we would be more likely to help you if we knew who you were."

"Of course… where are my manners? Oh, right, dead in a ditch. Heh, jokes… no, thank you, Lady Gobbler, for asking that obvious and important question. But, as I can't have my presence, and therefore name, known to the local powers just yet, I'll tell you in cryptic forms, giving you more and more information as I gather my strength here. First, I'll say that if you pay any attention to international news, or even just your neighbor to the north, you'll recognize this."

Out of the darkness came an eight-pointed star. It bounced on the table once, twice, three times before Lady Gobbler reached out and caught it. Turning it about in once hand, she analyzed the compass star, a piece of etched bronze with a stylized W in the middle. Her daughter, Voltura, looked at the signet and scoffed.

"W? Oh my, beware the wrath of W!"

Laughter broke out, but not with great strength. Voltura was silenced by her elder, which also caught the attention of the small assembly of villains. Lady Gobbler turned the emblem over, turning the W into an M. She recognized it now, and looked up into the dark. Grandmammi Aves was stern in her speech.

"You will show some respect to our new friend…"

--

_ Miracle City, Tuesday, 7:34 AM _

_--_

"Yeah, Manny!"

El Tigre, menace of Miracle City, as well as its brightest star, landed feet first on the pavement, smirking as the remains of some ridiculous monster fell to the ground. What remained of fierce cephalopod was quickly baking in the hot sun. Manny Rivera strutted away from the battle, garnering the adoration of local young ladies and small children as he left. Frida Suarez, never one to be misled by the grandeur of the superhero thing, only giggled as she ran to catch up with him. She nudged his shoulder.

"Keeps getting easier, huh?"

Manny only smiled. In a burst of green flames, he had cast off the trappings of his not-so-alter ego. He dusted off his jacket as he and his friend continued their walk to school, reveling in the ease of that victory. Frida was right; this was getting easy. Too easy. It was getting so that each win made his head get a little bigger; which only made Frida laugh more, as she enjoyed deflating his ego on a regular basis. She likely only got away with such teasing because she was his best friend and a girl. Or that he didn't mind being teased instead of swooned over. It made him feel human.

"Frida, easier doesn't describe it. Even if they made a new word to say how easy that was, it wouldn't be good enough."

Frida rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. I saw you take that hit. You know adult teeth don't grow back, right?"

He laughed and pushed her in play, knocking her off course enough to stumble a bit. Manny stopped and grabbed her shoulder, steadying Frida before this led to her falling down again. Once stable, she smiled and pushed him back, running ahead before karma could catch up with her.

"You're it, Manny!"

"Hey! Get back here! That's cheating!" Manny took off after her, though he was unable to cope with her head start.

"No, it's tag! And you're it!"

The teenaged pair continued their game down the street and into the high school court yard, where they weaved in and out of the crowd of the less personally blessed students. By now in their educations, all sense of life and creativity had been beaten from them, or at least smothered to the point of unrecognizing. A few of the teenagers weren't so unlucky… but most of them had some extra things on their plates to keep them going. Zoe Aves was one of them. She personally had two activities unrelated to school. Two activities that no one was aware of, as opposed to Manny Rivera, who had no problems with flaunting his power and privilege. Zoe Aves was often upset by that fact; she couldn't reveal herself, or fear persecution and abandonment. Plus, what would Manny think? That was certainly the core of her fears. Years of wanting him to herself had only made her family life worse. It wasn't long after El Tigre had used her for information mining that the Flock of Fury discovered its youngest member had not let go of her crush. It had developed since then. Even in public, seeing him made her physically weak.

"He won't want you if you don't talk to him you know…"

That voice made her crazy. The way he always ended his sentences on a low note, and how he dragged it out for "dramatic effect." Zoe hated having to hang out with him. But she admitted that it was better than nobody. And they shared certain mutual feelings towards the Rivera-Suarez pair. The specifics differed, but, you know.

"Diego, you're doing it again."

"What? Talking?"

"Yes. Stop it or I'll remove your tongue. And you know I will."

"…"

She smiled. He was actually being obedient now. It only took two years, and a few… unorthodox negotiation techniques… but now he was like a damn puppy. Perfect. Still, she had yet to really capitalize on her friendship with Diego Chipotle to actually accomplish her desired ends. But even now a glorious new plan was formulating, and it would culminate in—THE RINGING OF THE WARNING BELL.

"Ahhhh! I hate that thing! It always does that to me!"

"Come on, Zoe! We can't be late again!"

"Stop talking, dammit!"

Once inside the building, Chipotle Jr. had slowed down, and was no longer dragging Zoe along by the wrist. He thought back on what he had learned the night before, after meeting the mysterious M villain. He turned to his companion.

"So, my father says that guy was the real deal. We can win if we join with him. But I don't think I trust him. We don't even know who he is."

Zoe stared forward, bearing ill will to all in front of her. She liked how people scattered before a truly terrifying creature. It returned power to her, which was important as she had long been without power gained from self-esteem.

"Diego, I don't really care who he is. All I want to know is if he can help get me what I want."

Diego sighed and shook his head. "Why do you want him? I mean… I want Frida Suarez to myself, but. Don't we have a good thing going?"

"No. Now go to class."

Zoe pulled open the door to her class and slammed it shut behind her. Down but not out, Diego shrugged and ran off to his own room. Another day started and soon to be finished.


	2. Chapter 2

I'll be experimenting with formats in the coming chapters. I'd love reviews to include how you readers feel about the format, as already done by this anonymous person. But hopefully a fouled up format won't ruin the story. Moving on.

**Chapter 2, Proudly Introduced**

--

_History class, room 114, 11:50 AM_

--

And the bell rings in three… two… one…

"Lunch time!"

Manny Rivera burst out the door with a speed not often seen in his peers. They were all together either too tired, too hungry, or just too apathetic to feel much at this point in the day. But everyone knows that lunch makes things better. Also, it's taco day. And any who dare mock taco day will need to contend with a series of pointy objects mysteriously planted in their spines. Funny how accidents happen. Despite the rules stating otherwise, Manny made the trip to Frida's class up the stream of students all the easier by simply running through them. He'd gotten this down to a science, and not one student was unfortunate enough to get bowled over. Once he reached room 125, he frowned and slumped against the wall; Mr. Malverde had held the class in long again. When Manny first heard that this guys name was Malverde, he thought maybe he could get away with slicing him up and saying that he was confused with the giant hideous monster. Even Frida assured him he wouldn't.

"Come on, Frida," he whispered, "taco day, taco day, taco day! They're gonna' eat all the tacos!"

He stamped his foot in frustration, and almost magically out came the class. Frida was not the first, or even in the first ten. After almost everyone came out, Manny had to wonder why his best friend hadn't followed suit. Peering in, he smothered a laugh; Frida was in trouble, and Mr. Malverde was plastered from shoulder to shoulder with spit balls. Perfect. Four years of public schooling and Ms. Suarez was no different. Maybe that's what made their friendship work… or maybe it was just the mutual love of chaos. Finally, as he really had no evidence, Malverde let her go. Frida mocked him silently as she left the room and saw Manny smiling wide.

"Yeah, it was me," she whispered low, to avoid self-incrimination. "Don't ask how I did it. A master never reveals her secrets."

The two shared their laughter as they made their way down the crowded hall, which had not cleared up at all in the last five minutes, typical of high schools in general. There were cliques talking here, and simpletons idly standing at choke points there, but nothing atypical or violent, just the day to day. The court yard was just as crowded as the halls, a testament to either an inability or an unwillingness to enlarge the school or change the schedule. Once more, nothing special.

"Come on, Frida. Tacos."

He motioned towards the line when she looked at him, and was already on his way to the end of it when Frida returned her gaze to what had caught her attention: Zoe Aves. Just sitting there, glaring at her. For whatever reason, this rivalry between them was just not dying. Frida, personally, could not figure it out. She remembered trying to be civil, just trying to carry on without animosity… but that apparently wasn't enough to curb Zoe's ire. And over the years, it just got worse, and for no real reason. It was annoying, and slightly creepy. She broke the stare when Manny came back and grabbed her wrist, leading her away. This got Zoe's attention, and certainly not in a productive way. Her blood boiled seeing what she saw as a sign of affection. She had long ago forgotten what started this feud, but Zoe Aves knew that her vendetta had not died with the reason. It had taken up a new one, and that new one was Manny. He haunted her, made her weak. And she craved that weakness.

"I hate you… I hate you, Rivera," she muttered openly to herself, knowing nobody had heard her. In her mind, someone had listened, and in fact responded. "I know it's not true… I wish it was."

She slammed her fists onto the table, which got the attention of the two closest tables for a second or so. She couldn't care less, though. Zoe hated just about all of those people anyway. She was also getting hungry. Zoe made it a habit of rushing down here as fast as possible with Diego, and then sending him to get her food. Being an obedient sort of guy, Diego did as he was told, eager to please his mistress. He, at least, didn't care that she said she hated him. It cooled her anger as she thought briefly on how loyal he was, despite her constant raging against him. That cooling sensation was replaced with another flare of anger when he arrived, ignoring his previous orders to bring food, and don't talk.

"Here are your tacos, mi amor."

"What was that?" she scowled and stood, hissing out words laced with poison. She hated that too. The last time someone called her 'mi amor', she ended up getting hurt.

"I, uh… nothing."

"That's right, nothing. Now, sit down, and let me eat in relative peace. I have a lot on my mind."

She sat with her tray, staring down at the food on it. She wasn't eating at all; not because the food looked questionable, not because of an eating disorder, but because she was too busy dwelling on her hurt to do it. Finally, when she felt Diego's eyes on her, she looked up at him and scowled a bit. Not really afraid, he looked away, just because he knew her well enough to know that she wasn't feeling well, and staring was making it worse. Diego looked at her again when he heard the crunch of old taco shell. After a moment, he decided to make conversation.

"You know, there aren't rumors that they're going out together anymore. We could, I dunno, make a move."

She just chewed on the taco meat, thinking on her own bitterness. She hated her bitterness most of all. It was so debilitating, and sometimes it got so bad that she could swear to smelling it. And she did not enjoy smelling nothing but poison of her own making all day long. Sometimes she cried… often until she fell asleep. Zoe never did that in front of Diego. Surely he would think less of her, just like everybody else, if he ever found out.

"Nah. It wouldn't work. Manny doesn't like me, anyway," she finally answered, now more saddened by her own thoughts than angry.

"You don't know that. The last time you talked to him you told him you didn't like his boots and ran off," Diego chuckled. He was across the hall that day, and it made him laugh that such a pathetic insult had resulted in Manny Rivera swearing that Zoe Aves would pay dearly. How very good a day that had turned out to be.

"It's not him. It's her!"

In the middle of the line, Frida popped up her head and looked around. Once the tingling sensation had stopped, she moved forward another space in line, giggling as Manny produced one joke after another.

--

_Miracle City Outskirts, Old Churro Warehouse, 12:00 PM_

--

M sat at the head of the table, this time barely lit by an overhead lamp. A faint green light filtered down onto him, making his appearance seem more or less appropriate for the grimy locale. Across the table sat several local villains, surveying a map of the city, a blue print, and several sticks of dynamite. He thought the plan was simple. Everyone else present agreed.

"El Oso, Voltura, Dr. Chipotle Sr., you have been selected to carry out this preliminary mission, based upon your skills. Now, I'll go over this one more time," he said with a low voice, standing and pointing first to Voltura. "Voltura, you will spearhead the attack on the mint. Your job is to take out early defenses, distract them, and after they have been removed, you will be the look out."

Next he pointed to El Oso, "You are the muscles. You listen to the other two, and remember your job is to open the safe and carry heavy stuff. That's all. You can't stop to get an ice cream, and you can't have an action phrase."

As El Oso moped about his shattered dream of having an action phrase, the last member of the crew spoke up, eager to show he knew what he was doing. "And I'll have my mutant jalapenos take out the remaining guards and get the money."

"Very good. Now, the others should have the escape route ready in fifteen minutes, and you need to get moving now. So go."

The meeting was adjourned on that note, and the trio left out the front entrance. M sat down, picking out day old blood from under his nails. He had borrowed a nail file from the helpful Ms. Aves shortly before detailing the plan… he'd have to thank her later.

--

_Rivera Estate, 12:45 PM_

--

Rodolfo Rivera, Miracle City's great hero, sat back in great comfort as the day proceeded without much care. After crashing the super villain convention last month, crime had been down by ten percent. And that, while a noticeable depression in his work, was an encouraging thought. Upon finishing another of his favorite romance novels, setting aside with a sigh, he flicked on the television, to see that dire news was on every channel.

"_If you are just joining us, we are once again in front of the Miracle City mint, where Voltura, El Oso, and Dr. Chipotle Sr. have all been sighted robbing the vault and holding the guards and workers hostage. White Pantera, we need you now!"_

"… What? All three of them? No matter! White Pantera!"

One torn suit and a broken wall later, famed hero White Pantera crashed down on the street and beat a heated path to the mint. He landed next to Chief Suarez with a deep thud, forming tiny cracks in the pavement.

"It's about time, Pantera. We need you to get inside and put an end to this. They've had ten minutes to empty the vault."

Pantera laughed, "No worries, Chief. I'll have them beaten in no-" He was interrupted by Voltura flying over head, as well as the unexpected dropping of a bundle of TNT strapped to a primitive timer directly in front of the police car blockade. White Pantera rushed to move all of the officers away before the five seconds remaining on the clock ran out. The explosion caused massive damage, destroying all of the cars and devastating the street. Today was going to be expensive.

Voltura's partners took that as their cue to hurry up. Chipotle marched his squad of mutant peppers back onto the courtyard, where Voltura hovered over head, keeping White Pantera at a distant with countless bursts of lasers. When El Oso joined them, gold bars in each arm, she smiled and picked a radio transmitter off her belt.

"We've got it. Get us out of here!"

Pantera leaped forward, landing in the courtyard, but was blinded by a sudden explosion. The controlled blast encircled the villains, and in moments the ground underfoot gave way. They sank into the earth, disappearing from view. Looking up, Pantera saw his nemesis staring down at him, smirking.

"Too slow again, Pantera!"

He growled through gritted teeth as she flew off into the city. There was no way he'd be able to catch all of them. So he decided to go after Oso and Chipotle. With a strong leap he jumped down after them into the hole. He landed only a second later; it wasn't deep at all. They dug out a pit under the courtyard. Now this didn't make sense… Dr. Chipotle was well known to plot things like this out, and even better known to employ thugs to help make the work easier. But why would Voltura help them with this? The Flock of Fury didn't help anybody. White Pantera jumped down from the rubble and made his way into the tunnel, where he ran into the waiting El Oso. Knocked to his back, the Rivera was helpless, if only momentarily so. El Oso opted to spend that moment mocking the hero.

"Wow, good to see you're still good on your feet, Pantera."

"El Oso! Return the stolen goods!" Pantera sprang up and pointed straight at the heart of the villain. "If you do, I won't have to hurt you."

"You know, I'm usually the one who does the hurting, man!" And to illustrate that point, Pantera was knocked head first back into the rubble. El Oso took that time to retreat, knowing that his job here was done. White Pantera would take too long to recover, pulling up out of the rubble when Chief Suarez called down to him. That was a miserable attempt to stop villainy.

--

_Rivera Estate, 3:36 PM_

--

Manny and Frida came through the door laughing, not yet having heard about the epic failure that White Pantera had endured just hours ago. Manny saw his father moping in his favorite chair, watching the news.

"… _and so, despite his valiant effort, White Pantera was unable to stop the evil trio from making off with millions of pesos and several hundred pounds of gold. When combined with the total damages from the fight-" _

Manny had taken the remote and turned the bad news off. There was silence for a moment… and then the son took to consoling the father.

"So, what happened?"

Rodolfo sighed, "I'm just getting too old for this, Manny. I used to be able to stop things like this from happening. Why, it seems like just yesterday that I saved the mayor's house from getting robbed by the Rock Monster."

"… Dad, the Rock Monster doesn't rob anything. It doesn't even move. It only rolled into Rodriguez's house because of that earthquake."

"You know what I mean. I can't believe I let the mint get robbed…"

Manny hugged his father tightly, hoping to crush out the despair that clung to him. "You're not old dad. You'll get 'em next time. Now, me and Frida are gonna' go chuck things off a bridge. See ya' later!"

"Ah, that's nice Manny. See you later."

It was only after sitting quietly for five minutes after the teenaged trouble-makers left that it occurred to him what had just been said. He stood fast shouting his son's many names when it did, though nothing happened to stop the mischief from being made.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, First Hints

It occurred to me that I haven't been indicating the day with the time. I'll try to add that when relevant, or in other words to help the reader keep the chronological crap down. I'll also be trying to integrate more action into the story, so tell me if you have any ideas you like and maybe they'll get integrated into the story.

**Chapter 3, First Hints**

**--**

_Miracle City outskirts, Monday, 8:00 PM_

--

"I'm glad you could all make it here this evening. Of course, with the city on high alert, but at the same time suffering an unforeseen shortage of police cruisers, it must have been hard for you all to come. After all, I'm each and every one of you would much rather be out pillaging now that the first stone has been thrown."

The collected villains stared at the green-lit man across the table. Some wore smiles, some wore frowns. Indeed, many present would much rather be out taking whatever the hell they wanted from the wounded city. M marveled at how resourceful the city was… no matter what happened to it, Miracle City was never hindered by the mayhem and unprecedented ruin it faced. That would make this game fun. He continued his speech.

"I would like to thank the three villains responsible for today's heist. Thanks to them, this little venture I'm attempting can now afford to pay you all for your first job."

He gestured towards an unlit area, which upon command was flooded with pale light. Large bills and several bars of gold littered the crates on which they sat; the precious metal glinted in the fluorescent light, calling out to the greedy assembly. The light went out quickly, and attention was returned to M. He smiled in the green light he basked in, pausing to collect his thoughts.

"And speaking of which, it's high time we started playing this game for real. The enemy is not yet aware of what is in motion, which is why we shall strike hard now. Today was just another crime to them, so they will react to tonight in much the same way. Here's the target."

He threw a map onto the table, containing details of tonight's move. Opening it, the villains found a list of names of those involved, and two locations to attack. The prison made sense… but what exactly were tetra-ionic batteries? Science fiction made real, is what they were… and what fun science fiction made real can be.

"I've enlisted the entire Flock of Fury for the prison break. You ladies are quite useful for these quick hits that I need." The Aves family smiled upon their reference and compliment, and removed themselves from the group. "Senor Siniestro… I've long pondered a use for you. I've decided that you will play the lead in the Science Facility attack. You are charged with the recovery of the tetra-ionic battery experiment. Simple extraction; get in, get out. I have a dozen banditos covering you in case trouble shows up, but they are expendable. They will only distract that trouble."

"I will be getting paid for this, right?"

"Of course. Everyone present will receive payment for whatever I have them do. Of course, failure will result in… just don't fail."

After selecting his cadre to carry out the attacks, M simply gave everyone else the order to cause mayhem on a grand scale; the more distractions for the heroes of the city, the greater likelihood of specific mission success. The room emptied after the meeting was adjourned… save for Zoe Aves. When everyone else had left, she stayed behind, and stared at the floor for a minute.

"… Is there something you want?"

She looked up, afraid to ask a personal favor of this man her Grandmami said was not someone to ask such things of. After breathing short breaths, she forced out her words.

"I was just wondering if you are what everyone believes you are…" she whispered, closing her eyes behind her visor. That wasn't what she intended to say, and it was a little more offensive than asking a favor.

"Is that all? Heh, well, okay." He stood up, humming whimsically as he stepped out of the green light overhead. In the dark, all that was present of him was his footsteps, echoing in the silent room. Zoe had lost track of him, until he spoke again, apparently just outside of the light. "I am indeed who I claim to be," he replied, raising the hair on her neck with the severity of his answer. "Now, what do you want? No one sticks around to ask something like that."

"… Never mind. You don't seem the type to do favors."

Black Cuervo is what her mother called her alias… she enjoyed that name. It was intimidating, and Zoe always tried to seem intimidating herself to make the name seem real. Now was not a successful time. As she turned on her heels and started walking out, a hand jutted out from the darkness. It was pale, bony, and though she wore her combat gear, she could feel the cold of his flesh. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her… but just the same, though she looked at the hand that stopped her progress, she dared not look at its owner.

"What is it that you have in mind?"

"I..." she whispered again, having lost her conviction. She swallowed hard, finding it again inside her heart. The cold went away and she balled her fists in defiance. She wouldn't be afraid of him. "I want El Tigre."

Now M was taken aback. Was El Tigre not one of his new enemies here? Surely the reports were not inaccurate. They never were, after all. Though Tigre was given to less than noble tendencies, he more often than not foiled the plans of genuine villains.

"Be more specific," he replied coldly. "There are many forms of want. Is it in vengeance that you want him?"

She lowered her head slightly, and he picked up at her meaning. "Ah. Hmm… well, I suppose I should reward you for your courage. The last time someone doubted me, they first begged me for mercy, and then drowned in their own blood."

He spun her around so she was facing the darkness. She could faintly see his features until he stepped back further, disappearing into the void. "The attack you are a part of should not last any longer than two hours… meet me here at midnight, and we can discuss exactly what you want, and how to get him."

And for the first time in months, Zoe smiled out of something resembling happiness instead of the typical malice.

--

_Rivera Estate, 8:04 PM_

--

Manny returned to his home in a fit of hysteria. He and Frida had spent most of the afternoon doing exactly what he said he'd be doing. Ah, the good times they had throwing stuff off that bridge… and what a glorious climax it all came to when Mayor Rodriguez had to suffer his gold-plated limousine getting painted with expired cake batter. Of course, the gremlins had to run like crazy when the limo driver pulled off the freeway to pursue the vandals on the mayor's orders. But that sort of exercise makes the endorphins run through you that much faster.

"Manny! Where have you been?"

"Uh," he stammered a bit as he tried to come with a reasonable excuse. Unfortunately, there was only one that could even come close to sounding reasonable. "Nowhere special."

Rodolfo sat silently at the dinner table, arms crossed and a look of disbelief worn on his face. "I recall you saying something about 'chucking stuff off a bridge.' Would you like to rephrase your answer?"

"What? Me? Nah!" Now was yet another chance to escape judgment. A good lie can turn any situation from bad to good. At least long enough for you to panic and try to fix the problem. That, of course, rarely worked out. "Me and Frida were at the arcade all day. On that subject, I'm out of quarters. Can I get my allowance in advance?"

That was actually pretty good. Simple, believable, and reinforced by an entirely related subject. It would have worked if it wasn't Manny's lie of choice. Rodolfo knew for a fact that Manny had no money left to spend today, because he already asked for his allowance in advance this week. One day ago, in fact.

"Go to your room."

"… Dang."

Manny's door slid shut just as the front door slid open. Through came the last Rivera, Grandpapi Jorge Rivera. He whistled in mock innocence as he strolled past the kitchen table, hiding an unknown article beneath his sombrero.

"Hello dad. How was your day?"

"Oh, just fine. Nothing major happened to me at all. Certainly no crimes today, not done by me."

"Well, that's nice," said Rodolfo. He took to reading the newspaper, and sighed in depression. It started off as such a good day. The front page story was about the grand opening of the Hall of Super Heroes exhibit in Miracle City museum.

"What's wrong son?"

Rodolfo sighed again, setting the paper down. "I lost a fight with El Oso. I let him get away from the mint."

"He was the one who robbed the mint?" Grandpapi slammed his hands on the table in disbelief, and then tended to his sombrero as it attempted to fall off.

"Yes… er, well, not by himself. Dr. Chipotle helped him. So did Voltura. I can't figure out why."

"Hmm. They don't seem the type to form a team." Grandpapi caught his slumping prize a second time, then decided it had to be dealt with. "Well Rodolfo, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Such a smart boy. Good night."

Rodolfo smiled and picked himself up from his self-doubt. As he enjoyed the compliment, Grandpapi slipped into his room and removed the sack of gemstones from his sombrero, pouring the contents onto his mattress. He stared down at the shining stones and marveled at how "cunning" he was.

--

_Miracle City Prison, 9:45 PM_

--

The attack was scheduled to go down ten minutes ago, but the new alarm system had thrown Cuervo through a loop. Charged with the disarming of the system, she had stealthily infiltrated the base to find that Mayor Rodriguez had actually scrounged up enough money to make the city a little safer. Instead of the usual wiring and coding mechanism, Cuervo was confronted with some crafty German device. She cursed upon this discovery and has been working on it ever since. It didn't help that she was distracted with her thoughts about meeting with M later that night. What did he have in mind? Could he actually help? Was he a predator? That last question made her shudder a bit. If his hand was that cold, what was the rest of him like?

"Stop thinking about it. Focus."

She shook herself out of daydreaming and kept at her work of rewiring the alarm. One more wire and… ta-da! She radioed in for the attack to start, albeit a little later than hoped, and waited silently. There was first a great rattling, and the lights flickered shortly after. But the alarm did not activate. Perfect! Cuervo opened her wings and rocketed down the hall, no longer hiding in the shadows as she made her way toward the exit. Phase 1 complete… phase 2 came into being when she arrived at the security desk. With a burst of her personal laser, the bullet proof glass shattered on her end of the hall. The security force assembling on the other side of the desk fired at her, not recalling that the glass was on their end as well. She smiled and radioed in again.

"Blow the south wall!"

A second explosion rattled the building, and bricks and mortar flew down the hall Black Cuervo had just flown through. When the smoke cleared, Cuervo threw the containment lever, letting out Miracle City's thugs and banditos. Having been through many jail breaks in the past, the villains poured out of there cells and through the opening. Cuervo exited in much the same fashion. The guards were quickly overwhelmed, and many surrendered now as they have often before. The courtyard filled with the brutes and thieves, and as they poured out into the streets yet again, Cuervo looked up to see her family drifting on the breeze, waiting for her. But first, phase 3. She looked down into the crowd, waiting for one person to exit the prison. M was quite specific about retrieving this person, who he insisted would be useful after tonight's mission. Seeing his distinctive green hat, Cuervo zoomed down and plucked a young villain out of the horde, dragging him up into the air. He objected with a thick, cowboy drawl.

"Hey! Put me down! I have villainy to do!"

"Shut up, or I'll drop you and say you got trampled by accident!"

"… Alright."

The Flock circled overhead and flew off into the night. Mission accomplished.

--

_Science Facility, 9:49 PM_

--

"_The jail break was successful! Get the batteries!"_

"Roger that, partner!"

With the roar of his jets, Senor Siniestro barreled down towards the front door of the sealed facility. The gate that held the way shut was made of hardened steel and reinforced by spent uranium rods. In short, few intruders could get through. With his new missile launcher, though, Siniestro was one of them. The left hand of his battle suit withdrew into the arm, and it was replaced by an obscure, almost spherical machine. Landing at the gate, he pointed and fired at the corners of the door, knocking it loose. He kicked the broken door in, where he was met with a curious sight. The prison was not the only government facility to get upgrades. As befitting a science facility, the entry was guarded by a squad of robots built inside spherical shells of armor. They popped their legs out first to stabilize, and then showed off their guns. Ten of these robots had both of their high-energy weapons pointed at the intruder, and they all began firing in unison. Siniestro took great measures to avoid getting hit until his right hand was replaced with an energy gatling gun. Then it was only a matter of time before each of the drones was ripped apart by a barrage of plasma shots. Walking towards the sealed elevator shaft, not at all caring about the alarm going off, Siniestro aimed and fired two missiles at the locking mechanism which kept the elevator shut up. The gate opened upon the manual removal of the locks, and the doors opened as well.

"Sorry, over the weight limit."

A third missile destroyed the elevator, sending its remains down into the basement below. Activating his suit's jets, Siniestro flew up the shaft until he reached the fifth floor: Energy Research. Blowing the door open, he entered the room to find more robots.

"Oh please. You aren't even close to ready for me…"

--

_Rivera Estate, 9:54 PM_

--

Rodolfo was almost out the door when the news broadcast had informed him that not only was the prison busted open, but someone was robbing the Science Facility. That was one target too many. White Pantera could not do both alone. He forced his son's door open, an act which could just as easily been embarrassing for them. Luckily, this isn't one of those times.

"Manny! The city's in trouble! You can make up for throwing things off the bridge by stopping whoever's at the Science Facility!"

Manny jumped off his bed smiling, itching for action after about two hours of having nothing to do. With a spin of his belt and the roar of a tiger, he stood leaped out the window yelling something that resembled "on it." Satisfied, Rodolfo rushed out after him, wanting nothing more than to make up for his previous failure.

--

_Science Facility, 10:01 PM_

--

"This would be a lot easier if I KNEW WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!"

Senor Siniestro smashed case after case in search of the tetra-ionic batteries. But, having no idea what a tetra-ionic battery looked like and running out of patience, it wasn't easy. Finally, growling in frustration he turned to crush a ruined guard robot into scrap metal when he read on the only remaining podium: Tetra-Ionic Battery experiment. Do Not Touch.

"Okay… found them."

He smashed the case open and pulled out three small cubes in a metal box. Closing the box tight, he radioed his companions to alert them of his success and location.

"Alright! I have the batteries! Meet me over the Science Facility!"

"_We're en route."_

With the batteries in hand, Siniestro pointed his missile launcher at the nearest wall. Despite the impressive blast the impact made, the wall did not give even a little.

"Okay, didn't see that 'a coming."

"_El Tigre's coming down the street. Get up on the roof and pass the batteries to us."_

"You got it, partner."

"_Will you stop saying partner? You're not a cowboy."_

Senor Siniestro made his way back to the elevator, flying up to the top of the shaft with great speed. El Tigre was getting faster and faster as the years progressed… he wouldn't have much time until the banditos were all disabled. Blasting out the top, Siniestro jetted out and landed hard on the roof, cracking it. Apparently no one would dare try to break into the Science Facility through the top. No one in Miracle City would take advantage of that little design flaw.

"Should've just tried that in the first place…"

Looking over the side of the building, Siniestro spotted his nemesis, and indeed he had made short work of the men M had sent. Looking up, Tigre spotted a huge suit of robotic armor perched atop the facility, smirked and leaped forward, burning with green fire as he scorched up. Expecting such a blitz, Siniestro aimed his missile launcher and fired a single shot. It hit dead on… or at least looked like it did. Though El Tigre was no longer attacking in the same way, he was not falling back to the earth. Instead he had grappled himself to the facility walls, and was now rushing up the side as if gravity didn't matter.

"Fine! But don't say I didn't warn you!"

Siniestro fired up his jets and took off, dropping a pair of high explosives down on top of Tigre as he ascended the building. The mines clanked against the wall, and the tiny sensors flickered orange as the devices were activated. Out of instinct, Tigre gripped the first mine and threw it out over the street. It detonated there, producing only a flash and a cloud of smoke. The second was thrown toward its owner; it exploded close to home, knocking the villain off course. He landed hard on a nearby rooftop, cradling his prize carefully. From his position, Siniestro saw the Flock jetting in from the distance and smirked in triumph. He stood and threw the batteries up into the air, where they were claimed by Voltura. The Flock flew off after that, and Senor Siniestro was joined by the agile hero.

"Looks like your back up isn't gonna' do you much good."

"I don't need no stinking back up!"

He leaped backward, firing his machine gun hard and fast at the hero. Tigre weaved and dodged as the bullets whizzed past him. This was a little more aggressive than he was used to, but still nothing that couldn't be handled. Burning again with the flame of the tiger spirit, he sprang forward with lightning speed, slicing through Siniestro's left arm. The missile launcher fell to the ground useless, the left hand still attached to it. Turning to see his loss, Siniestro first appeared angry, then laughed. Another pair of mines dropped from the ports in his back, clanking down on the populated building. And with that, Siniestro flew off of the building and down into the alley. He had only a short time to escape, which he took advantage of. El Tigre, however, had to deal with ticking time bombs. Gripping them in his claws, he threw one up into the air, and then the second in the same direction with twice the force. They clanked together and exploded loudly in the air. He watched the explosion dissipate, not even bothering to chase Siniestro down. He heard him escaping into the distance just as what remained of the untaxed police force rolled down the street. Tigre watched the officers arrest the pile of banditos and sighed. Now it was his turn to dwell on a failure. But at least no one got hurt.

--

_Miracle City Outskirts, Tuesday, 12:00 AM_

_--_

Cuervo paced about in the fluorescent lighting of the warehouse. When she first arrived, everything was dark. The building looked like no one had been there at all. Even all the loot was gone. No one could move all that by themselves… although, he had four hours to do it. She worried that maybe he would not keep his word, and was just making her feel like an idiot. As she turned to leave, she heard a light behind her buzz and flicker into life. Turning around, Cuervo saw only the green light pouring down on the empty chair. But she knew he was here somewhere, because her chill had returned.

"I watched tonight's news. You did well, Zoe Aves."

She hid her panic well. It was rare that anybody figured out the identities of the Flock of Fury. And most of those who did were not really what you would call outsiders. Zoe crossed her arms and retained her tough demeanor.

"So what, you figured my name out. Anyone with brains could do that."

M smiled in the dark. He rather enjoyed when women behaved so defiantly. Stepping forward, he reached out from the shadow and placed a strange module on the table. "Take this. Trap the voice of the girl he likes. Use her against him."

Zoe picked up the device. It seemed so low tech, really. It was small, but it was so conspicuous; its army-like design just sang out "look at me." She lifted the thing up and analyzed it in the poor lighting.

"You need to get close to use it. Engage in conversation with the record feature on, and bring it back to me. I'll work with her voice after that, and then you can make your move."

There was silence then, and the green light went out. When it did, Zoe got the sense that she was alone again, which was actually quite comforting. Whenever she couldn't see this man, she felt as if she were ill, like he possessed some power to make her uncomfortable just by being there. She hated that. But she loved that she had a way, now. Cuervo left the warehouse with the voice module in hand, and flew off into the night with a plan in her mind and a positive feeling in her heart.


	4. Chapter 4

I actually like this chapter. Quite a bit. It sets up a lot of emotional tumult that will occur in later chapters.

**Chapter 4, Love Thy Enemy**

--

_Miracle City High School, Tuesday, 9:50 AM_

--

Frida was taking a leisurely walk through the hallways during class time. She often picked this exact time to escape her math lectures when they got too in depth. Or boring. Or when they made her feel sick. She spun the key chain that was the hall pass around her finger, humming her way down to the drinking fountain. She loved when the halls were empty and easy to navigate. It let the music in her head play without interruptions. Reaching the fountain, she leaned over, twisting the knob to claim a refreshing-

"Hello Frida."

Surprised by the sudden breach in silence, Frida twisted the knob far too hard, spraying her face with cold water. Backing up as she wiped away the water, Frida balled her fists and turned angrily.

"What do you want, Zoe?" She stared at her nemesis with no amount of pleasure. Zoe may have forgotten why she hated Frida, but Frida was far from giving up on the source of her grudge. She remembered quite clearly that this madness started all those years ago, when they were just children. She remembered her humiliation as she cried for help, but no one would help get the paint off. "Are you here for another one of your dumb pranks? Geez, don't you have a life yet?"

Zoe scowled at her, hating what was implied. Of course she had a life… sort of. It certainly wasn't the life she wanted. Grandmami had always painted the life of a super villain as so glamorous, so unfettered. Zoe felt otherwise every day.

"I'm just here to pass the time, Frida. I so little to do anymore, and I'll be honest, I'm bored enough to talk to you."

Frida eyed her warily, fully expecting a water balloon to the face at any moment. And just her luck, no security cameras to catch the attack in action. "You expect me to believe that? If you're so bored, why don't you go find Diego and make out?" Frida puckered her lips and leaned forward, making mock kissing sounds in a most childish manner. And it worked; Zoe curled her fingers into fists and growled between her teeth.

"You insulting little…! Diego is little more than an annoyance to me," she spat, giving in to her anger as much as possible without resorting to violence. "Every day he bugs me with something stupid, and every day he asks me if I want to go out with him. And you know what I say? No!"

Frida smirked, dropping a hand to her waist and bringing the other to her chin. "That's not what I heard…"

"What? What did you hear?" Zoe took a step forward, arms shaking with anger.

"Oh-ho, apparently something that's got you hot under the collar," Frida turned away, smiling almost evilly. "But I've said too much. I don't want to make you any more upset. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to class."

Without getting in another word, Zoe watched Frida march back down the hall, proudly swaying her arms in an exaggerated motion. Once she was out of sight, Zoe was able to take a few deep breaths, and her angry expression was replaced with one of malice. She took the voice module out of her pocket and clicked the stop button.

"Too easy…"

Hearing a staff member coming down the hall, Zoe fled to the girl's room before she could be caught without a hall pass. Once inside, she walked to the window and wedged it open. She jumped six feet down the ground, much as she had done once a week for the past three years. High school didn't really matter to her… what was a detention to a super villain? And she was only ever caught when she was unlucky enough to be seen by a random gym instructor. Heading off at her own leisurely pace, she made for the seedy district where she had planned to meet up with M.

--

_Miracle City High School, Room 210, 10:15 AM_

--

Diego looked at the clock again… 10:15. Great, looks like Zoe isn't coming back again. He slumped in his chair, rubbing at his temples. He liked chemistry a great deal, but it wasn't worth being here if he didn't have Zoe to sit next to. He enjoyed her company more than anything else. Well, and that thing she does when… never mind.

Diego sighed, glancing down at the completed sheet that was intended to be a homework assignment. "I hate this place…"

"Is that so, Diego?" He winced when his teacher intruded on his thoughts over his shoulder. She leaned down and patted him on the head. "Well, maybe if you scored as high on the classroom placement test as you do on your homework, you could have been placed in a more challenging class. But until that happens, you'd do well to pay attention."

He sighed again, this time in frustration. "Yes ma'am."

"Very well, then… now class, what is a substance that breaks down into acetic acid?"

When he was sure she was out of earshot, Diego let a bit of himself out from the depths. "Swine…"

But his teacher was not quite that far, and she turned quickly on Diego with a flash of anger in her eyes. "What was that?"

"… Wine. Acetic acid can come from wine."

Silence… though she was sure he didn't say wine, how could she argue? It was the right answer.

--

_Miracle City Outskirts, 11:06 AM_

--

Zoe had stopped at her house to refresh herself for the long walk ahead. It was only a simple matter of keeping out of Grandmami's way, which was becoming very easy in her old age. Finishing off her juice box, the one luxury that was more or less a vice, Zoe tossed it into a gutter taped off for a police investigation. It landed next to a chalk outline, though she didn't really care. The police didn't seem to either after the events of last night; a gang related murder was pretty low priority. Pulling the heavy warehouse door open, Zoe ventured into the now familiar dark, expecting something eerie. When she found herself sitting alone without even a sense of malaise, she thought for a moment that she was once more wasting her time. But maybe if she called out…

"Hello? I'm back with what you told me to get."

A slight echo made it seem as if she were talking to herself. But she didn't want to leave. She had felt good all day after meeting with M last night. She wanted to bring whatever he was planning to fruition. Zoe felt something promising would come of all this effort, this hope.

"I'm going to leave soon…"

She jumped when she heard a door on the opposite end of the room scrape open. Through the door came the silhouette of M, who appeared to be staying in a back room in the dilapidated structure. He pushed the door closed and disappeared from view. There was a pause.

"You're here early. Shouldn't you be in school, or something?"

Zoe raised an eyebrow in sheer curiosity. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, it's just that I was expecting a visit this evening. You work fast," his voice did not sound like it did before. Was he putting on airs for the villains of Miracle City? "I assume you're here because you succeeded, and not because the device is broken."

"It worked. At least, it looked like it did."

She walked into the darkness, keeping her hand on the table to keep track of her location. When Zoe was in what she hoped was his vicinity, she left the recorder on the table and backed up a few steps. She hid herself away in the shadow hoping to somehow get a straight look at this man. She wasn't rewarded with that. The sound of M picking up the recording device came to her almost as soon as she stopped walking.

"So, what do you have planned?"

He was quiet for a moment, though she couldn't guess why. Finally, he spoke to her. "You're going on a date after school, Ms. Aves."

--

_Streets of Miracle City, 3:06 PM_

--

Manny and Frida walked silently down the street. Manny was smiling, Frida was not. He stopped and turned to her, not wanting to go home just yet.

"So, you wanna' go to the arcade?"

"I can't."

"Docks? We could throw stuff into the harbor."

"I can't, Manny."

His smile faded. Frida always enjoyed those two activities. "Why not?"

"Because my teacher told my dad I'm not doing my homework," she said with a frown, crossing her arms. "Why do teachers do that? I mean, I already know I'm not doing my homework. Why have my dad remind me?"

Manny looked to the ground, a little disappointed that the day was over so quickly. It was over because he knew Frida was horrible at doing her math homework. He was too, but his Grandpapi helped him cheat on it, so it didn't matter. They continued to walk to the Suarez residence, where they had to part ways. Frida smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, we can do stuff when I'm finished with my homework. It's not like it's gonna' take… forever…" She sighed when she realized that her optimism wasn't working here, then started towards the door. "See ya', Manny."

"Bye. … Huh."

The walk home was longer when there was no fun to be had. Manny Rivera took note of every boring thing as he trudged along on this wasted, late summer day.

"Hola Manny."

"Oh. Hi Ms. Chichita. Hmm…"

Manny watched the elderly lady just hobble along. He hoped secretly that something would happen to break the boredom wide open. Strange… normally Ms. Chichita had the great misfortune of walking head long into every sort of mayhem imaginable. Instead she just walked into her building without so much as a request for help to cross the street. What was wrong with today? Manny sighed and continued his trek, staring up the walls of the golden colored complex he called home. He pushed the front door open and walked in, barely waving when his father called out to him. Once in his room, he fell back on his bed, staring at the ceiling with the longing to want to do something, anything other than this. Minutes dragged on as though they were hours… for a time it seemed he was going insane. Or falling asleep. In either case, he jolted when the phone rang. He looked at it as though it were alien as it rang a couple times.

"Manny! Would you get that please?"

"Sure dad!"

He picked up the receiver and talked into it tiredly. "Riveras."

"Hey Manny!"

"Frida?" He put the receiver at arm's length and stared at it a moment. "I thought you weren't allowed to talk until you were done with your homework."

There was a pause, the sound of writing, and then: "Done! So, what do you want to do?"

Now he paused. That was fast. He had only been home for a half hour, and it was about ten minutes to her house. "Frida, did you cheat on your homework?"

"It's only cheating if you get caught! Now, pick a place."

"Uh," he stammered, a little caught off guard by her quick handling of her math homework. "I guess… I dunno'."

"Well, if you won't pick," Frida responded, "how about that new place that opened where the puppy orphanage used to be! We can go arcading after!"

Manny smiled. The day had just been spared from the jaws of obscurity. "Alright! I'll be down as soon as I can. See you later Frida."

"Bye Manny!"

He put the phone on the hook with a grin as wide as possible, then set off towards the front door. He waved his hand frantically and forced out a quick sentence. "Bye dad! Going to hang out with Frida!"

Rodolfo looked up as the door closed, thinking about how fast all that really was. He shrugged and continued reading the newspaper, pausing every now and then to reflect on how things had changed in the past day.

--

_Suarez Residence, 4:05 PM_

--

Frida sat at her desk, staring down at the taunting numbers in her text book. She kept tapping her pencil on what she had written on her paper. Number 1… number 1…

"Alright, let's try this again. Sin67 + Cos50/CosX, where X is… what is this stupid circle thing?"

She slammed her head down on the text book, trying to make it all go away by blocking out the light. She lifted her head again and saw the problem laughing at her. Frida slammed her head down again, whining in her most pathetic voice.

"Why do I even need to know this?! What have I done to offend you?!"

--

_The Bandito Parlor, 4:59 PM_

--

Manny stood waiting outside the Parlor, looking up and down the street almost every single minute that he waited. Frida was late beyond all mistaking. It should only have taken her five minutes to get here. Maybe she wasn't as "finished" with her homework as she said. Sighing in despair, he turned around to go home, and was surprised by none other than Zoe Aves.

"Hello Manny."

He flinched when she greeted him, not expecting to be snuck up on so easily. She stood smiling for a moment, waiting for a response. Her smile faded when that response was more delayed than normal.

"Manny?"

"Oh, hi Zoe," he said with a hint of forced happiness.

"… Are you waiting for me to leave?"

"What? No no no, it's not that. It's just that…" He leaned to his left to look down the street again. "I was just waiting for Frida… she said she'd meet me here. Have you seen her?"

Zoe had to force her smile into hiding, had to fake ignorance. "No, no I haven't. How long have you been waiting for her?"

"Oh, let's see…" He looked down at his watch, then frowned. His disappointment was evident in his voice. "... about an hour."

"Well… I'm sure she'll be here soon. But if you want, I can keep you company until then. I've got nothing to do." She slowly strolled past him, slowing to a stop as she neared the periphery of his vision. She glanced back at him and saw his head follow her, and she smiled as he joined her. "I don't usually come down this way… but I heard that this place just opened up. Would you like to join me?"

Manny smiled as he followed her inside. "Sure."

Zoe entered first, letting a burst of air conditioned air out into the street. The chilling blast caught her by surprise, chilling her thighs and arms and causing her to break out in goose bumps. She folded her arms across her chest and started rubbing her cold skin until she could adapt to the change in temperature. Manny wasn't so badly hit by it, as he always dressed like it was only sixty degrees outside. He looked around the dark lounge, glancing at glass tables, odd art that seemed to blend the ethnic and the abstract, and the slender waitress going from the table to table.

"Nice."

"Come on," Zoe whispered, gently grabbing his arm, "let's get a table."

"Lead the way, my pet."

Zoe giggled. It was a little early for him to be calling her "my pet." Although, he never seemed to have much reason to dislike her, especially when Frida wasn't around. She led him across the floor, which left glowing footprints in a neon blue where they stepped. Manny enjoyed watching the prints slowly fade away while Zoe led him to the table she wanted. When they arrived, a loud buzzing filled her ear, and the resulting vocalization of her discomfort garnered Manny's attention.

"What? Are you okay?"

She stared at him for a moment, trying to think up a lie for why she was clutching her ear through her hair. "Why yes, I'm fine. I just went deaf in my ear for no reason. No reason at all. It happens sometimes…"

--

_Unknown Location, 5:03 PM_

--

"_I just went deaf in my ear for no reason. No reason at all. It happens sometimes…"_

M smiled as he heard her lie over the radio. She was either good, or he was just dumb as a post. In any case, it filled him with mirth to be a part of this insidious plan. From his hiding place in Miracle City, he monitored Zoe's date from a safe distance, pulling the string's that would result in Zoe's ultimate goal: revenge. At least, that's what he told himself.

"Sorry about that, Zoe. A little electrical interference. Now, go on."

--

_The Bandito Parlor, 5:03 PM_

--

"Anyway… waitress!"

When Zoe shouted at the top of her lungs, she gave not only Manny a shock, but anybody remotely in the vicinity of their table. The waitress walked over, smiling a smile that seemed mixed with anxiety, or possibly even fear.

"What can I get for you two?"

"Manny?"

"Uhm…"

"I'll just start you off with water until you have time to decide, then."

The waitress stood smiling for a moment, then inched off without taking her eyes off Zoe. Seemed it was fear that gripped the poor woman. Zoe watched her leave, then returned her gaze to Manny, wearing only a modest smile.

"Perhaps I was a bit too intense."

"Nah, it was fine."

They shared a smile, hitting off the evening of Zoe's first date with the man who had haunted her dreams for years.

--

_Suarez Residence, 7:45 PM_

--

Frida groaned in total defeat. Tireless work, endless torment, and an undying feeling of stupidity. It had been four hours, and how far along was she?

"Number 7 out of 50! Waah!"

She slammed her head against her desk one last time, groaning again with her face buried in crumpled papers far too smudged by her eraser to use any longer.


	5. Chapter 5

Shout outs to some peeps.

I'd first like to thank Sunny204. Sunny's the first person to add Line in the Sand to their favorites list. I'm hoping some other reviewers will as well.

I've already been asked if this piece is Zoe x Manny. And that's a secret, yo.

--

**Chapter 5, The Horrors of Science… and Dating**

**--**

_Unknown location, 9:00 PM_

--

M almost nodded off again as he sat listening to this garbage. Seriously, there was nothing interesting happening at all. Zoe would ask him something, then he'd reply. If M was lucky, Manny would reply with a joke. Though he found this all to be very boring, and regretted telling her he'd maintain a vigil, it could at least be said that the prospect was positive. Manny liked her enough to keep a conversation active for over four hours. There was not one silence that was wrong, not one word too out of place. And Zoe was loving it.

--

_The Bandito Parlor, 9:00 PM_

--

"… And that's how I got out of paying the damages for tipping the Churro truck over."

Zoe giggled behind her hand. Some explanations for stories are mundane. For instance, a normal person would get out of paying for that by running away. But not Manny Rivera. He'd much rather set up an elaborate chain of coincidences that all pointed to a rubber ball. The fact that he DID get away with is what makes it laughable.

"I can't believe they fell for that. You're good."

Manny smiled, tipping back in his chair. His ego deflated a little when compensated for nearly falling back by grabbing the table hard and tipping his glass over. Soda, all over his good pants. Zoe went beyond giggling at this point, but was still able to over him some aid.

"Here. Let me-," she forced through her laughter, "let me help you."

Now out of her seat, Zoe was at Manny's side, wiping away the soda with her napkin. He stood perfectly still while she did, and for a time he smiled, enjoying her company as well as her cleaning of his thigh. She stood straight and looked at him, and her face had a look of curiosity. Why was he smiling so… goofy? Manny became self-conscious again and quietly took his seat. Zoe smiled and returned to her chair. Another good silence, a place where nothing needed to be said. It dragged on forever until Manny's watch started to beep.

"Nine? Wow… where'd the time go? I think we should call it a night, don't you?"

Zoe frowned when he said that. The way he said it seemed as if he was already tired of her. "Okay… I guess so."

Manny stood and helped her out of her chair. "But, if you want, we could, I dunno', do this again?"

"Of course!" Zoe hid her jubilation well, not wanting to come off as too excited by the prospect. Her eyes betrayed her. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I like to leave it up to the spur of the moment… I'll call you when I decide," he said as they walked out the door into the cooling night. "Oh, I'll also need your phone number."

Zoe smiled and stood up on her toes. So exciting! Having pocketed the pen left by the waitress, she took it out and wrote out her number. Not having any paper, she was forced to write it on his hand. She made sure to write it slowly, and when she was done she held on to his fingers for an extra ten seconds.

"I had a lot of fun tonight, Manny."

"Me too, Zoe. … Will you, you know, be alright on the way home? It can get pretty rough out on the streets at night."

"Oh, you're so sweet," she said, standing briefly on tip toe again. "But don't you worry. I can manage."

"Alright then. Good night, Zoe."

"Good night, Manny." She waved as he strutted off down the street. He had a lot more spring in his step than he had when they walked into the Parlor. Watching him walk off, Zoe sighed contentedly. "Perfect."

"…_Finally."_

Zoe's eyes shot open. "What was that?"

"…_Nothing."_

"That's right, nothing. I told you, you didn't have to listen in on me."

Zoe smirked and turned towards home. She too had a little extra pep packed in each step, and she hummed happily to herself.

--

_Rivera Estate, 9:15 PM_

--

Rodolfo was watching the clock. Manny had been gone for a long while, and there wasn't a call about how he'd be back late or if he had any plans for the evening. Frida was rarely allowed out past 8:30 anymore, which made it hard for Manny to spend much time with her afterwards. Finally, the front door opened, and through it came a happy Manny Rivera.

"Mijo, what were you doing out so late?"

Manny stopped dead in his tracks. The sense of trouble was all about him, which was strange because he hadn't even done anything. He turned around with a sigh and marched straight into the front room where his father sat.

"It's nine o' clock. Were you and Frida out past her curfew?"

Manny's eyes opened wide for a moment. Frida said she was going to meet him… he completely forgot about that. How to explain this… for this, maybe the truth; or something close to it.

"Frida had to cancel on me. I was hanging out with someone else…"

"Really?" Now Rodolfo's interests were piqued. Who else does Manny hang out with? No one really came to mind. "Who is this friend of yours? Why haven't I heard about him before?"

"I've known her from school for a whi-- uh, we're new friends." There was an awkward silence, a moment where Manny stared at his dad without moving a muscle. "But now I have to go to my room. For, uh, a reason."

Rodolfo watched his son leave the room, plagued now with disbelief. Finally, when he heard Manny's door close, he let tears well up in his eyes. "My son! He has a girlfriend!" He jumped up happily and ran off toward the kitchen, flailing his hands about. What a glorious day. "Strange… I always thought it would be Frida."

Manny, meanwhile, was busy copying Zoe's number down onto a piece of paper on his desk. He stared at it smiling, tapped it a couple times, then went to lie down on his bed. This time he was staring up at the ceiling not out of boredom, but contentedness. A thought troubled him, though. What happened to Frida? He looked over at the phone, and for a moment or so he contemplated calling her to see what was up. Instead he talked himself out of it. It was probably that her dad checked her homework and found out it wasn't as done as she claimed it to be. Yeah… probably just that.

--

_Suarez Residence, Wednesday, 7:20 AM_

--

Manny waited patiently outside Frida's house, mind buzzing with questions. One of them was why it was taking her so long to get outside. If she took much longer, they'd have to rush to school again. If she was doing her hair over because she didn't like it the first time, he'd give her such a pinch.

"Come on, Frida! We're gonna' be late!"

As if on cue, the front door opened and out came Frida, joined by her family's Dobermans. They ran to the fence and barked ferociously at Manny, who backed up when they did. He never got used to that.

"I heard you the first time. Bye papa!"

"Bye Frida. Have a good day at school. Rivera! Don't get her into trouble!"

The door slammed shut as Frida hopped the fence. She smiled as she fixed her goggles and fluffed her hair. "How do I look?"

"Looking good. Come on," he said impatiently, forgoing the usual chatter. "We'll talk on the way."

"Geez, chill out. Since when did want to go to school?"

"I don't," he said, turning. "I just don't want to be late again."

Frida rolled her eyes, but conceded to his line of thinking. She had quite the tardiness problem herself. "But don't you wanna' get into trouble first? Just a little?" As she asked that, she clasped her hands together and held them low, stretching her arms and causing her head to tilt. She knew that Manny couldn't resist it when girls pulled that move on him.

Manny stood watching for a moment. "Well…"

One unexplained exploded mail box later and the two were running like hell to school, laughing madly as they did. Morning mayhem safely accomplished, Manny and Frida strolled safely into the school courtyard, breathing hard to recover from the unexpected sprint.

Frida laughed uncontrollably as she recalled the lead up to that explosion. "Man, I love blowing things up! Don't you Manny? … Manny?"

But Manny was gone… mentally, anyway. He waved at a girl across the courtyard, a girl dressed in black and waving back while wearing an attractive smile. Seeing this display made Frida a little unhappy.

"What are you doing?" She pushed him by the shoulder, not hard, but still slightly aggressively. "Don't wave to Zoe Aves."

"Not this again," Manny sighed, "you know how I feel about this argument."

"I don't care. Zoe's pure evil. You're not allowed to wave to her."

"Frida!" Now he was becoming upset. "Why won't you drop this?"

Without a response, Frida only turned away with loud "hmph," tired of him defending Zoe for what seemed to be no reason whatsoever. Aren't friends only supposed to side with their friends? For some reason, it didn't click in her mind that that logic could work backwards.

"Come on, we better get to class," she finally said, pulling at his jacket. They didn't have much time left to get through the crowded hallways, and she no longer had the patience to listen to another speech about showing up to class on time.

Zoe watched Frida's display from her end of the courtyard, and when she and Manny were gone, she let her smile degrade into something a little more foul. She laughed quietly as the pieces started falling into place. Diego was curious what had her in so "good" a mood.

"I'm glad to see you're laughing, Zoe. What is that has your attention?"

"Quiet, Diego," she said softly, "I'm plotting evil things."

Diego smiled too, for two reasons. One, he always loved plotting evil things. Two, she had been gentle in asking him to stop talking. Usually it was just a harsh "shut up" paired with an insult. He inched closer, hoping to capitalize on her not so violent emotions.

"No, you're not getting lucky tonight. Now come on, time for class."

Diego sighed in defeat, but smiled when Zoe grabbed his arm and led him off much like Frida had led Manny into the dungeon that was the school. He would have a great deal on his mind today, and not a lot of it would revolve around learning anything. Already his mind swam with a blend of vile food-based monsters, deceptive ploys, and Zoe holding a rose. He dwelled on that last one for almost an hour…

--

_Unknown Location, 9:15 AM_

--

M sat in his chair, just thinking. The experiment was moving at almost twice the speed he anticipated… if this kept up, the subject would be ready before the power amplifier was. He leaned back in his seat, recalling the haste with which the program was undertaken and advanced…

--

_Flashback Sequence_

--

"As you can see, we are very optimistic about the level of mutation his cells can handle," said Dr. Chipotle Sr., pointing at a meaningless red line on a chart.

"Mutation? Are you gonna' make me into a monster?"

There was silence. Dr. Chipotle smirked as he watched the Cactus Kid squirm in his seat, fearing the ideas that those around him were discussing. M watched from his seat, calculating the numbers again and again, making sure this project wouldn't be a waste. Super villains were not an incredibly expendable resource. The Cactus Kid wasn't particularly impressive, not like some of the people M had met over the years, but Chipotle was right. It seemed he was the best prospect for this program.

"We might… we might not do anything. It's all up to your cells, my friend. In any case, you will be compensated. Twice your weight in gold."

"What?!" Dr. Chipotle Sr. was the source of this objection. That gold was supposed to be his payment for robbing the mint. And now he wasn't getting any of it? "You said—!"

"I said I would pay you. Are you calling me a liar?"

The good doctor remained quiet, though angry. As long as he got paid, he'd be quiet. But the loss of the gold was not one he would be happy with. "So, are we going to move ahead with this plan?"

"That all depends on the Cactus Kid. I don't wish to proceed without his consent."

The Kid sat still for a moment, staring down at the floor. His eyes twitched as he thought about all the repercussions of his choice. He didn't get far with it, but it was an honest effort. What could go wrong? He could use the money he'd get… "I'll do it."

M smiled.

--

_Unknown Location, 9:32 AM_

--

M looked at the computer screen when it interrupted his thoughts with a loud beep. After a few key strokes, the information he wanted was brought up. Projected level of mutation reached. Cellular degeneration, minimal; mental degradation, zero; emotional trauma, possible, but unlikely. M smiled, picking up a cell phone and pressing in a string of numbers. He listened to the ringing, and after the third time started to get impatient.

"_Older."_

"Hello, Buzz."

"_Oh, hello boss. I presume you're calling about the amplifier."_

"You presume correctly. About how much longer until the first model is complete."

"_Well, after the first test set fire to the lab… we were set back about four hours. But we've got the battery working with the hardware now, so maybe another six hours."_

"Good, good. Be sure to get it to me as soon as you can after you've finished.

"_Yes sir."_

M snapped the phone shut and looked at the screen again, smirking over the results. The Cactus Kid was going to prove a very interesting subject. He already showed potential in the desired fields… and the power amplifier would just make it crazy fun. M clicked a different tab on the screen, opening up newspaper and media reports on his foes. White Pantera, Puma Loco, and El Tigre… they were all very threatening. The project may not be enough until its final stages. He opened the phone again and punched in a different number. This time he was answered almost immediately.

"_Da?"_

"Nikolai… I have some good news for you."

--

_Rivera Estate, 5:30 PM_

--

Manny paced back forth in front of his desk, not once taking his eye off of Zoe's phone number. He liked spending time with someone different for once… he didn't want to feel bad about it. Plus Frida was too busy to hang out again… her teachers were really cracking down once they heard that Frida was actually going to be doing her homework from now on. He stopped pacing and picked up the tiny bit of paper that was causing him so much anxiety. He finally steeled up his resolve; there's no way this can be so hard. It's just calling someone on the phone. He took her number to phone and put the receiver to his ear, pushing each digit on the box as he focused hard. Once it started ringing, he started getting anxious again. What if it was too soon? Guys at school had always talked about waiting three days before calling back. Would Zoe think less of him for not sticking to that supposed protocol? Before he could hang up, though, someone answered.

"_Hello?"_ But it was the voice of an old woman.

Manny coughed once, then responded. "Uh, hi. Is, uh, is Zoe there?" He held the receiver tight, fearing that she wasn't home, or that she was too busy to talk. His fears were unwarranted.

"_One moment please… Zoe! Is a boy!"_

Words Manny couldn't clearly hear were exchanged… something about not having to yell, and why it was okay to talk to boys, and why dinner wasn't being cooked until 7:30. It was a little awkward. _"I don't know why, Grandmami. Now please, I'm on the phone. … Hello?"_

"Oh, hey Zoe."

"_Manny! Wow, you DID call!"_ she squealed, sounding flustered. She clearly had prepared herself for a long siege.

"Are you busy tonight?"

"_Uhm,"_ there was the sound of shuffling papers. _"No…"_

That made him smile. He seemed to be doing that a lot now, especially when he thought about her. "Well, do you wanna' do something tonight?"


	6. Chapter 6

A note before I begin:

There seems to be more concern over Manny's love life than his well-being. You crazy kids. What is it about Zoe that is so unlikable? Or is it that we all, deep down, believe that friends make for good partners?

Let me know in reviews why Manny should be with Frida in the end. State your arguments. Convince me.

**--**

**Chapter 6, Before and After**

--

_Unknown Location, Wednesday, four hours before Manny Rivera calls Zoe Aves_

--

M tapped on the desk, counting down the seconds before any of the anticipated events would occur. Nikolai would land in two hours; the power amplifier would be finished in two and take at least a day to get here; and the Cactus Kid was due to be released from the growth chamber in under an hour. Fifty-eight minutes… that was starting to get to him. How could that happen so fast? The projected time for completing the mutation was three days, and only one had gone by. True, they'd had a week to prepare the lab, but… this was giving M a migraine. His phone rang, gaining his ire for a moment. He picked up and hastily opened it.

"What is it now?"

"… _There is no need to be angry."_

"Oh," he sighed and rubbed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to rest. "Nikolai… sorry, I hate this part of the job. It's been twenty hours in front of these computers."

"_I understand, my friend. But do you think you can tear yourself away long enough to come and meet me at the airport?"_

"You're early?"

"_Da. Earlier flight."_

"Well, that's good. Who didn't make it to the airport this time?"

"_Investment banker."_

"Nice," M chuckled and swiveled in his chair. He couldn't see the screen flashing red at first. "But you do remember that I can't be seen in public just yet. I'll have someone pick you up though."

M turned around again and caught sight of the flickering screen. His smile disappeared in one red blink. "Nikolai, I'll have to call you back."

"_Da."_

M flipped the phone shut and brought up the tab linking to the Cactus Kid's growth chamber. Heightened blood pressure, neural instability, rising body temperature. He now took up a radio transmitter.

"Chipotle, what's going on down there?"

"_Nothing that can't be handled," _said the doctor, trying to retain control of the situation.

Chipotle's statement seemed to be the prompt needed for things to get worse. The screen now reported the growth chamber's compromise. He radioed in again, but got nothing. Not good. M opened a tab and entered a command. In front of him he now saw through the lab security camera. It seemed to be your typical ruined laboratory after your experiment starts running amok. Steam and shattered glass all over, people flying across the room.

"Chipotle, tell me what's happening. Where's he going? … Chipotle!"

Now thoroughly angry, M stood from his chair and exited his control room. The hallways were designed to be straightforward, all leading to the front gate. He'd meet the Cactus Kid there. But once there, it seemed the Kid was no longer the only creature to meet. There stood three new cactus monsters… and these were much more aggressive looking than those in the criminal file.

"Let me out! Now!"

The boy… the creature, upon saying that, pointed his arm at M. From his shoulder to his wrist, it looked as if it was coated in plant matter. Or converted into it. A ridge of spines lined his knuckles. The Kid fired one past M's face in warning, and the monsters pointed their own spines at the unresponsive gringo. M waited for another moment, then turned to the gate control panel.

"A, B, B, C, C, A, C… in case you change your mind."

The steel gate slid up, and as soon as the sunny desert was in view, the Cactus Kid and his vicious creations sprang out into it. M watched from inside the base as they tore off across the sand, off to do who knows what. This was not a good turn of events. Not at all.

--

_Miracle City High School, 1:35 PM_

--

Manny stared at the clock, willing it to turn its gears faster, wanting to go home. He had things to look forward to doing today, and they were driving him crazy. First he'd see if Frida was free. If not… maybe Zoe would want to do something. The bell rang, signaling the end of the penultimate class. All that remained was another fifty or so minutes of torturous education. Manny was out in the hall with remarkable speed, as though he thought that moving faster would make time go by just as quickly. He found Frida waiting for him, clearly having evaded sitting in class for the last five minutes of lecture.

"Hey Manny. Looking springy considering how late in the day it is."

"I guess… I just wanna' get outta' here."

"You and me both… but come on, one more class."

But that "one more class" was their least favorite. If they weren't both in it together, they'd likely go insane. Chemistry with Gomez was the worst class they could possibly be in. They weren't allowed to do anything fun with the chemicals after the day they made "drinks" for everyone. They got grounded for weeks because of that; whatever happened to the love of science?

"I hate chemistry…"

"And chemistry hates you, Mr. Rivera. Take your seat."

Manny sighed and dragged himself to the table. Frida comforted him, but that was about the extent of her power here. Once everyone was seated, or at the very least in the room, Mr. Gomez stood and started writing away on the chalkboard.

"Callate! Now, open your books to page 192. We will resume our discussion on acids."

--

_Miracle City High School, 2:50 PM_

--

Zoe and Diego met in front of the doors just as school was let out. They walked down the steps as they always did, Diego talking about some nonsense that Zoe did not want to hear. Then he said something she had long anticipated him to say, but was shocked when she had spent the day without hearing those words.

"So Zoe, where were you last night? I called, but your grandmami said you were out doing… she didn't know what you were doing either."

"Diego," she said as she stopped walking, "if you must know, I was out having fun with Manny. Yes, I said fun." She started picking at her finger nail absent-mindedly, pretending not to see his look of disbelief. "That said I'll be trying to spend more time with him. You should find a way to fill up your free time that doesn't involve bugging me. See you tomorrow."

She left him standing there. What the hell? What had happened yesterday that changed her mood about this so incredibly? There was no way she would've had the courage to just walk up to Manny and invite out for an evening of who knows what. There had to be a ploy, there just had to be. Although… this could be to Diego's advantage. He rubbed his chin as he thought of all the repercussions of Zoe and Manny dating. Frida would be alone. And what if she found out about it? It was no secret that Frida hated Zoe. And with that in mind, Diego began formulating a cunning plan.

"Yes… this is going to be fun! I am brilliant!"

He saw Manny and Frida exiting the building themselves, then slunk around a pillar to stay out of sight. When they were near him, he tried his damnedest to hear them, but the crowd of students made that hard. This was pointless! Oh wait, evil genius. Smiling again, Diego's cybernetic implants deployed a most cunning device with which to overhear what was going on between them. And it certainly wasn't invented after Diego saw a commercial advertising a similar device. He focused in, not hearing the friends over other people at first.

"… I know, Manny. But all my teachers heard about my dad's deal with Malverde. I guess that makes it cool to suck up all my free time with homework."

Manny sighed and looked down at his feet. After a moment of silence, he looked up to her again, seeing her as sad as he was. Smiling to show hope, he started walking her home. "Don't worry Frida. This can't last forever."

Diego watched them walk off, stifling his maniacal laughter as much as humanly possible. He stopped laughing and started screaming when something reminded him that his listening device was still on and up to high: a student stopped in the exact spot where Frida stood and adjusted her personal radio. The static caused a sharp pain in Diego's ear, causing him to yell out in blind, agony driven fury.

"Grah! Swine!"

--

_Suarez Residence, 3:09 PM_

--

Manny and Frida had taken the long way home, making the most of today. The weekend was still so far off… homework was going to be in high supply in the coming days. They stopped in front of her house, just standing, waiting to part ways again.

"I'll call you later, kay?

"Yeah… later."

Sensing his disappointment, Frida pulled Manny into a hug, holding him tight for a good ten seconds. She released him and patted his shoulder, signaling the goodbye. Frida hopped the fence and disappeared into her house, leaving Manny sad that this was happening, but happy that they were still such good friends after all these years. Manny proceeded down the street, not letting himself get all depressed now. At least there was a plan B today. Diego watched him leave, pondering how best to do this. Well, a lie was certainly in order… but those dogs didn't look too happy just to see Manny, and they saw him all the time. That problem, luckily, was resolved when Frida came back to let them inside. Forgetting that his objective WAS inside, Diego smiled and strolled along to the fence, opening the gate. Already the dogs went crazy, wanting to eat someone. Unwilling to give up, though, he continued to the front door. He knocked twice and waited… during that time he started to panic. Frida opened the door, fighting with the "puppies" as she tried to calm them down.

"Hola… wait a sec, do I know you?"

"Hello Frida. How are you doing today?"

She stared at him a moment. She SHOULD know his name, shouldn't she? "Dippy?"

"Diego," he countered, not yelling, but not calm anymore. "I'm here to help you with your studies."

"Oh yeah?" She propped herself in the door, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "How did you know I was having trouble with my homework?"

"Because, uhm… your teachers told me," he said with an upward inflection, almost asking a question, "and I'm in the… the tutor program."

Frida actually found that to be believable to the point she stood straight, behaving as though she were caught in a lie. "Oh… then I guess you can come in. You're good at math, right?"

He smiled and casually strolled in. "I'm good at many things, mi amor."

"That's good… wait, what was that?"

--

_Aves Residence, 5:32 PM_

--

"At the bus station by 5:45… yes, I can do that! See you then, Manny!"

Zoe gently hung up the phone and smiled as she pulled herself into a hug. Wonderful was the only word that could describe how she felt. He actually wanted to go out with her again! She felt…

"Who was that, Zoe?"

"Er, someone from school. I'm going out tonight, grandmami."

Grandmami Aves emerged from the kitchen with a stern look. "Not if it's that Rivera boy."

"Why would you say that?" Zoe asked, reaching now for a clever ruse. "You know I'm completely over him."

"You say that, but you know that I know better."

"Well you know what? It doesn't matter. Even if I was going out tonight with him, I'd do it. But, uh, I'm not. Going with him, that is."

Unwilling to pursue this any further, or willing to let experience teach Zoe this listen, Grandmami Aves conceded and returned to the kitchen. Zoe was once more free to embrace her feelings, which she did as she walked out the door.

"You can contact me at any time, but I won't be able to help you steal anything, so keep that in mind."

The door closed almost with a slam, but Grandmami Aves was a little too busy searching the refrigerator for something, anything to eat. Dinner was at 7:30, but she was hungry now.

--

_The Bus Station, 5:43 PM_

--

Manny stood at the entrance to the bus station, waiting once more for a friend to show up. He looked at the street up and down, but didn't once see anybody who could even be confused for Zoe. Manny turned to look at the clock to see if his watch was right… it was. He also saw a kid standing across the room, just staring at him. Inside his hood, Manny thought he saw a pair of piercing red eyes. He stared back for a time, and the world seemed to get quieter and slower as he did. Manny was jarred from the odd sensation when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hello Manny."

"Wha? Oh, Zoe. I was worried you wouldn't show."

"Aw, I could never stand you up," she whispered, pinching his cheek lightly. The smile she got from him was just precious. "I was running behind though. We'd better hurry if we want to get on the 5:45 bus."

"Right behind you."

Manny started toward the bus, now much less aware of the stranger staring at him. He did notice, though, that the kid was no longer on the opposite side of the room. But he wasn't about to start being all paranoid about something like that. Dumping some money in the tray as they climbed aboard, Manny walked Zoe to a pair of seats. He smiled with her, sharing a sense of excitement. It was going to be a fun night. His smile faded when he saw a kid dressed in a familiar hoodie walk past him. That kid from the station was going to the same place? Odd… but not suspicious. The bus jolted forward as they started off toward the carnival, a place of good, clean, questionable fun.

--

_Unknown Location, Flashback_

--

"Nikolai, this is the target."

M handed his favorite Russian agent a pair of photographs. The first one showed El Tigre, and the second showed Manny Rivera. He took in the faces of both, making sure he could recognize them at any time. Photographic memories rock.

"And what is the mission?"

"Watch him, keep him alive for me. He'll be with this girl. Keep her out of trouble too."

M handed him a photograph of Zoe as well. This was not the sort of mission that Nikolai had in mind. He was an assassin, a spy, an infiltrator… he was not a babysitter.

"I don't understand."

"You think that's weird? This is the best part..." M stood from his chair and looked out the window, watching the sun-baked land shimmer. "I need you to make sure that they get… closer."

--

_The Carnival, 6:10 PM_

--

Manny and Zoe stepped down from the bus, and immediately they looked up at the sparkling lights of the hastily erected rides. Sure, they didn't have insurance, but they were fun all the same. He led her to the ticket booth and paid the entry, playing the chivalry card as much as possible. It looked like it worked. Once beyond the gate, Zoe immediately began leading Manny around the park.

"I think we should do the roller coaster first, get it out of the way."

"That sounds good," he said with a smile, "you always have a plan, don't you?"

"Yes I do."

"… I like that."

The couple did all the things associated with carnival fun. The roller coaster, though rickety and unsafe looking, was indeed enjoyable, solely because of the adrenaline rush caused by the fear of the rickety and unsafe ride. The haunted house, though not even close to scary, gave Zoe the perfect chance to take Manny's arm in false dread. He didn't seem to mind. And despite their best efforts, the game vendors had little choice but to give Zoe her prizes. This part worked backwards, though. Manny tried first to win her some low quality stuffed lion, but found throwing three rings onto a bottle to be very difficult. Zoe, not to be dismayed by a game, managed this feat and two similar ones in a single go. She smiled as she held a stuffed lion, seal, and elephant against her chest.

"Ah, we're finally here."

"What?" Zoe asked, but then looked up to the shimmering attraction to all couples. The huge Ferris wheel beckoned for her and Manny to ride in it, to see Miracle City's million lights from the height of the ride.

"I was hoping to get here just as the sun was setting."

"Oh my…" she whispered, blushing behind her prizes. Taking her wrist gently, Manny led her to the line, which quickly processed them to the front. Leading her into the gondola, he smiled when she whispered again. "Manny, this is just…"

He only smiled, happy that she was happy. With the gondolas all filled, the ride proceeded. Zoe held Manny's arm tightly as they glided up to the top of the wheel and came back down. The stranger seized this opportunity. It didn't matter what culture you came from; parking at the top of the Ferris wheel with a beautiful view was romantic. Once the couple was on the upswing again, he emerged from the crowd and talked to the operator.

"200 dollars American says the wheel stops with gondola 4 at the top."

"You got it."

And just as Zoe and Manny reached the top, the Ferris wheel halted sharply. The gondolas rocked a bit when it did, and on the ground it looked like the controls had mysteriously "broken down." When Manny looked down, he saw what looked to be that same weird kid from the bus station. He was distracted, though, by Zoe sighing, looking out into the night. Miracle City lay before them, glittering as if it was the sky and all the lights were the stars brought to the earth. The colors of the sunset were painted across the sky, vibrant hues of red, orange, and pink.

"Manny… this is amazing."

"Yes," he whispered, gently taking her hand in his as he stared out into the world, "yes it is."

--

_Suarez Residence, 8:00 PM_

--

Diego filled in the blanks left in the eraser smudged regions of Frida's homework. He was a little upset with her that he had inadvertently agreed to do tonight's assignments, but in the spirit of conquering her heart, he had to concede to it. Just the same, he turned to her as he worked.

"You know, a tutor is supposed to help students do their homework."

Frida smirked as she chewed a bite of apple. "Yeah, thanks for the help."

"That means you do it, and I help you work through the problems."

"But this works better, since you're so smart," she laughed, but not at him. She was a little indulged in a comic book at the moment as well, which was even more frustrating for him. "Besides, I did some too."

"You spent four hours saying 'I don't know how to do this.'"

"And I don't… and no, I won't get any better with practice. Trust me, I've tried."

Diego rolled his eyes and dropped the pencil to the desk. "How many times have you tried?" There was only silence.

--

For all you Zoe x Manny haters, be sure to read deeper into what's going on. You may find something…


	7. Chapter 7

This is certainly clipping along at a good pace.  I worry about the day when I run out of steam and this story fades into, I don't know, obscurity or something.  But for now I present chapter 7.

**Chapter 7, Cactus Paybactus**

--

_Skies of Miracle City, Wednesday, 8:00 PM_

--

Voltura scorched her away above the skyline of the city, just high enough to avoid everything but being seen. Not that it mattered, really. No one was fool enough to snitch on a villain who's actually out and about. After a crime, maybe, but never before. She scanned the streets, seeing nothing more than the day to day below her. Every now and then a petty theft or similar wrong doing occurred, but mostly just filthy people being filthy people. She turned and followed another street when she ran out of room and scanned that one as well. After a time of doing this, she heard a voice on her radio.

"_Anything yet?"_

"Not yet… are you sure he'd come back to the city."

"_No," _M replied, _"but that's why I'm having you check it out. Lady Gobbler has nothing to report on the outskirts thus far, either. When you're done with you street duty, check any heavily populated events."_

"Roger that."

She soared on for another five minutes when it occurred to her exactly how best to find the Cactus Kid. Like any villain, his top concerns would be money, a hideout, and vengeance. She would try for vengeance.

"Do you think he would be where El Tigre is?"

"_How would he know where El Tigre is?"_

"Do you think he could be?"

"… _Possible. I'll see if I can't find that out. I have a man on the field."_

--

_The Carnival, 8:07 PM_

--

"Da?"

"_Nikolai, do you have them in sight?"_

The boy who had been following Manny and Zoe all night looked up at the still stopped gondola. Normally two hundred dollars wouldn't buy this much time, but another hundred said ten more minutes. He couldn't hear over the crowd, but it didn't look or sound like the couple was fighting. "Da, they're on the Ferris wheel."

"_Ferris wheel? What, did he take her to a carnival or something?"_

"Da," Nikolai responded solemnly, "why?"

There was a scream, then the sound of a booth collapsing. People panicked and ran, a few bumping into the Russian, drawing his attention. Turning he saw a pair of ugly, spine-covered green things. He couldn't describe them, having never heard of cacti before in his life, despite having travel the world over.

"Oh… green guys?"

"_That sounds about right. Don't let yourself get killed; help's en route."_

Nikolai snapped the phone shut and backed away slowly. He wasn't afraid, but he really couldn't risk going ape on these ugly things in public. Blowing cover is a big no-no. Instead he retreated to behind the Ferris wheel. It was about this time that Manny looked over the gondola rail and saw the havoc unfolding below.

"Hang tight, Zoe!"

He climbed up and out, jumping over the side. Out of impulse, Zoe slid over to look at him as he descended. Already green light and fire had burst from his form, and he landed with a roar on the platform below. This immediately got the attention of the twin cactus monsters, and they roared themselves before stomping over. El Tigre smiled, but was still a little surprised. It had been a long while since the Cactus Kid was actually a problem, having been in prison for some eight weeks. Just the same, he leaped off the platform and sliced the first of the two plant beasts down the middle, jumping again to land behind the second. With a powerful spin, he bifurcated this one, knocking to the ground in a pair of heaps. The first was still struggling for life, so Tigre finished the task of cutting it in two with a sharp kick to the weakened back. The cactus collapsed lifeless, letting the hero turn up to see Zoe in the gondola above. His ego stopped him from noticing someone approach from behind.

"Rivera!"

Tigre stood stock still when he heard his name. The voice was unfamiliar, rattling with something that made it hard to pinpoint. The accent made it obvious, though. He turned around to face the mutated Cactus Kid.

"Whoa. What the hell happened to you?

Not only did it appear as though the Kid had replaced his arm with what looked like an appropriately shaped cactus, but a stretch of green had consumed half of his neck and face. Spines emerged from his cheek, splaying back like a beard. He was clearly no longer just a human with odd inborn abilities. There was something wrong with him.

"I made a mistake… but that doesn't mean it's all bad. I can feel it! I can destroy you now!"

The Kid simultaneously stomped his right foot and clutched his left hand. From the ground emerged what at first appeared to be prickly pears. The plants grew rapidly, but didn't take on the normal aggressive shapes that his other creations did. But when there was enough plant matter to go around, the cacti shifted and stood, coalescing into eight-foot tall humanoid creatures. Tigre backed up a few steps, now convinced that things had indeed changed. The nasty things lurched forward, snapping as their spines rubbed against each other and the earth, but making no other sound. The Cactus Kid laughed as he lifted his cactus hand slowly through the air, shuddering as if it met resistance. At first this appeared to do nothing, but the slain cacti behind El Tigre made that different. They cracked and regenerated, discarding old tissue and forcing out new. Though horribly disfigured and lacking any semblance of elegance, four new cactus monsters stood behind the hero as the two humanoid ones stomped forward.

"Damn…"

Once that word was uttered, Tigre jumped as hard as he could into the air, barely avoiding the swing of the arm of the first beast to come at him from behind. He landed behind it, dug in, then rushed forward with incredible force, slicing it apart again. He took the bottom half and threw it hard at one of the lumbering prickly pears as it wandered close. This, unfortunately, left him vulnerable to the still active upper half of the downed beast. It grabbed Tigre by the leg and pulled him across the ground, scraping his body against dirt and gravel. Another slice and the cactus's arm was lopped off, freeing the pressured hero long enough to duck and jump once more out of the fray. He sighed as he saw the sliced halves of cactus beast stand up again, regenerated into even more vile forms. He did notice, though, that they didn't appear to be fairing well; one could hardly walk, and not because of leg damage. This brought a smile to Tigre's face, this limitation. He jumped forward again, cutting away at everything in sight. The second generation of cactus monster lay defeated, leaving only the prickly pear to deal with. What was curious here was that it appeared to be taking a piece of its arm off. Why would it do that? That question was quickly answered when it threw the severed piece at Tigre, who only barely managed to dodge. It stuck fast to the wooden platform behind him, a testament to the sharpness of the needles.

"Man, you guys are nasty. But I bet you come apart easy!"

El Tigre jumped forward, and once close enough sliced the prickly pear from bottom to top. It broke fairly easily, but something happened that he had not expected. Instead of just falling over like its crushed companion, the prickly pear exploded, sending each piece of the cactus out through the air. Tigre was rewarded with one such chunk of spine-covered plant in his leg. He back to tend to this injury, pulling the cactus out gingerly. The Cactus Kid just laughed again, and the sound of popping filled the air again. Behind Tigre rose the third generation of cactus monster, though much like the previous example, these appeared sickly. And he smiled wide when they reared up and collapsed, succumbing to some unknown ailment.

"Looks like you should've practiced some more! You aren't half as tough as you said!"

Tigre stood again, claws at the ready, then charged forward. No longer being the sort to be taken off guard, the Kid backed up a few steps, firing spines from his knuckle ridge as he went. El Tigre had to abandon this plan and leap aside, trying to evade the barrage despite his injury. He failed, taking a few spines to his hip. Yelling in pain, he fell to his side, sliding across the dirt with good momentum. The Kid took the time given here and clenched his fist again, sprouting a new cactus. At first Tigre didn't take it seriously; it looked like it was caught in a run, limbs curiously angled and a body stuck in a lean. Its facial expression exhibited surprise, as if it had accidentally eaten something sour. It wasn't until the thing rapidly closed the distance that Tigre started panicking. He lurched backward as it stopped and kicked at him, flipping backwards and releasing a strange whooshing sound. It landed perfectly, bending to take aim and twisting its arms. The crown of its head was revealed, and when Tigre saw the many needles on its body stand straight, he jumped hard and barely evaded the barrage of spines it launched. The sound of a thousand needles filled the air as they filled a piece of wood, splintering off the panels and themselves. Then he saw it: the opportunity this had brought him. Tigre pointed and fired a chain claw at the head of the cactus as it stood again, splattering it with a loud smack much like that of a pumpkin hitting asphalt. His claw then found the earth, gripping it hard. Tigre reeled himself in to the ground, curling into a hand stand, then sprung himself forward. Too late did the Cactus Kid realize that Tigre was on the offensive again, too late did he turn to aim his needles. With a single, powerful kick, the Kid was down, unconscious, bleeding from the nose. El Tigre stood over his vanquished opponent, breathing hard and hoping he'd stay down. That was a good exercise.

--

_Carnival Entrance, 8:22 PM_

--

The Cactus Kid was loaded into a transport vehicle, barely conscious, but stable nonetheless. The doors slammed shut and the truck pulled off, destined for the closest prison available. Manny, similarly, was in the back of another vehicle. Face down on the ambulance gurney, he whined every time a needle was pulled from his flesh, groaning a bit whenever the pain had troubled him too much. Zoe rubbed his back sympathetically.

"You did great, Manny. I've never seen anyone fight like that."

"Thanks Zoe," he said, lifting his face from the gurney, "but I don't usually end up getting de-needled. That could have gone better."

"Don't worry about it. You're fine."

Zoe was interrupted by the sound of a jet engine overhead, and for a moment she entertained the idea that her mother or grandmother was there now. Why would they be here now? Could they have been here the whole time? She dismissed both questions when she heard Manny whine again.

"Okay, that's the last needle. Now we'll just bandage you up and you can go home."

Zoe stepped down from the ambulance and looked up into the night sky. There weren't any stars visible from here, typical of the huge city. But just the same, she felt calm, and she smiled upon the heavens. She lost focus and blushed when she felt a hand around her own.

"Come on. Let's get you home."

They waited at the bus top for only a few minutes. When the 8:30 bus rolled in, Zoe climbed aboard first, helping Manny limp up the steps. People smiled as they saw this cute procession, some remembering what it was like to be young and in love, others simply too young to not laugh at a girl helping a boy. Manny sat down slowly, the puncture marks burning as his muscles worked. He hated cacti now more than ever. Zoe sat next to him and leaned in close. The bus doors closed and the vehicle started off towards the station. But there was one passenger that went to the carnival who wasn't on board now.

--

_Suarez Residence, 8:25 PM_

--

"Well done, Frida! I've never seen such improvement in you!"

"Uhh," Frida stammered, briefly looking back at Diego. He was not at all happy. "Sure, Papa."

"Your teachers were right to send this aid to help you. Tell me boy, will Frida be able to improve her grades by years end."

"I should say so." Diego frowned a bit, giving Frida a glare that was just unpleasant. She smiled as cutely as she could in an attempt to diffuse his anger.

"Okay, Papa, but now Diego has to go. He'd love to stay, but dinner and such. Say bye Diego."

Chief Suarez just stared blankly as Frida pushed Diego out of the room. He seemed surprised and uneager to comply. Once he was out the front door, Frida stopped pushing him. With a deep breath, she calmed down enough to communicate.

"Hey… thanks for, you know, doing my homework…"

Diego simply brushed off his sleeves. "Well, maybe next time you will do a few of the problems." He forgot that the tutor system was just a ruse.

"So there's going to be a next time? You'll help me again tomorrow?"

"Oh," he smiled, rolling with it again. "Of course. That is my job. To help you."

"Great!" After yelling that she hugged him. It was only a hug of gratitude, of course, but the look on Diego's face? Priceless. "I'll see you tomorrow after school then."

"Okay, Frida…" he whimpered, stumbling about in half swoon. She watched him meander down the walk to the fence, wondering why he was behaving like a drunk now

--

_Miracle City Outskirts, highway, 8:35 PM_

--

Voltura, having followed M's instructions thoroughly, flew in plain view of the police truck that was hauling the Cactus Kid away to the next city over, where the closest working prison was located. She watched it drive swiftly along the highway, keeping its position locked in her glowing visor. She activated her radio to confirm the next part.

"I'm out of the city limits. Move in?"

"_Move into range, but don't fire until I give the order."_

"Roger that."

Moving in the closer to the truck for the plan had its disadvantages. For instance, the driver, a man just doing his job, took notice of the noise. He turned to his partner, curious about the sound outside.

"D'you hear that?"

His partner only shook his head, intent to keep looking forward. And for a short time, the driver was satisfied with that. He didn't bother to question why his partner's phone was on, or why it was ringing now of all times. He didn't even bother to ask why his partner braced his arms against the roof and dash after saying only "yes sir" to whoever called. But when the truck lurched to the side after a flash of green light, the poor driver had little choice but to panic as the vehicle fell far beyond control. The metal of the now bare wheel and axle sparked against the road as the police truck skidded across and off the road, flipping twice once it caught its front left corner in the ditch running parallel to the highway. Once the dust had settled and the damage done, the driver coughed a bit. He heard something from next to him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," coughed the driver, "I think so."

"… That's a shame."

Voltura landed some yards behind the truck and approached it slowly. She stopped when a gun shot rang out from the cabin, then started around the side to see a police officer climbing out of the window, apparently unharmed. Voltura gasped and backed up a step when he stood straight, featureless, and grey-skinned.

"You must be Voltura. Come. We must check on the passenger."

Complying, Voltura strolled to the back of the truck and with one sharp shot destroyed the lock on the door. Nikolai pulled it open and stepped inside. He was jostled a bit, but the Kid was no where near dead.

"You're coming with us, little man."

--

_The Bus Station, 8:45 PM_

--

Just as Zoe had helped Manny into the bus, she carefully led him back down. She smiled when he stumbled a bit, clinging to her arms for added support. He smiled back, though somewhat more bashfully. She held his hand for a while, saying nothing. Then she spoke.

"Come on. I'll walk you home."

"I think this is supposed to go the other way around, don't you?"

"Well," she responded, quietly, "if I was full of needles, I'd expect you to carry me. But you're strong, so you can at least help me by carrying yourself."

"Ooooh," he taunted, "is that an admission that guys are stronger than girls?"

"No…" Yes, inadvertently. But it was as cute as it was unintended in her eye.

"Alright. Please, lead the way, miss."

The streets were quiet, but still full of energy. People dotted almost every piece of sidewalk that they strolled down, but none of them were interacting all that much. Every now and then a conversation could be overheard, but now it was more like people just trying to get home on time. Which was just fine. Once inside the apartment complex in which Manny lived, Zoe pushed the elevator button and stood fiddling for a moment. She clutched her wrists neurotically, contemplating how best to end the evening. Finally, she leaned in and kissed Manny's cheek.

"Thanks for the good time… call me."

Manny watched her leave, confident she would be okay, confident he would be okay too. And he smiled, certain that now they would be a "they." The doors opened and he stepped in, pushing the button to take him upstairs. Zoe, meanwhile, did everything in her power to keep herself from skipping. It seemed like just two days ago that she hated everything… and now everything she hated no longer bothered her.

--

_Unknown Location, 9:23 PM_

--

It had taken Nikolai and Voltura sometime to return to the base with their prize in tow, but once they did it was smooth sailing. Dr. Chipotle Sr. ran his cybernetic hand over the tank that held the Cactus Kid in stasis. Tubes ran into his arms and legs, sensors were attached to vital areas, and an oxygen mask kept him alive in the fluid environment.

"So, doctor, what did we learn from last time?"

"Many things," he replied, "but mostly that we should keep him tranquilized, even though it stunts his growth."

"Don't worry, doctor," M said, turning away from the tank, "he's already grown fantastically. Start him on serum 5. I want maximum growth."

Chipotle watched him leave, then turned back to the tank. His face was covered in bandages, as were many other parts of his body. That breakout earlier today was not a pleasant one for anybody… but at least the Mexican military was kind enough to build two labs inside the base. The second was up and running as soon as the clean up on the first had begun.

"You have caused Dr. Chipotle a great deal of pain, cactus boy… you would be wise to watch your back. I will return the favor one day."


	8. Chapter 8

I like the chapter, I think it advances an important plot piece and reveals something about the nature of M. But at the same time, something feels off about it. I'd like you, the readers, to tell me if this chapter is fine as is, or should be redone, or at least modified. I always appreciate the feedback I get after each chapter, and constructive criticism is readily embraced.

If fault is found, please highlight which section you don't like (and by highlight I mean inform). I don't normally put disclaimers with instructions, but just today I met someone who literally printed out a document and highlighted certain sentences for me to see. Nice guy, though.

**Chapter 8, Move to Destroy**

--

_Unknown Location, Thursday, 9:00 AM_

--

"_Reports are coming in that the Golden Eagle Twins are returning from a world tour of crime fighting! After their zeppelin was sighted over Cuba, Miracle City officials were all asking the questions that the people of Miracle City had shouted. Can we be saved?"_

That was yesterday's news. M tapped a key, changing to a report from just this morning.

"_We are here now with the legendary Golden Eagle Twins! Hola Twins! How are you doing?"_

"_Better than you, apparently."_

There was silence, but the vacuum was filled when Carla spoke up. _"Carlito, be nice. Things are hard for them right now."_

"_Right! Which is why we, the Golden Eagle Twins, have returned to our favorite city!"_

"_We will stamp out this crime wave that has infested you!"_

The feed was cut once the crowd started going wild. What sheep they were, believing a pair of children could save them. Miracle City has grown much too dependent on the so called heroes of the world. M swiveled around in his chair.

"What do you think about that?"

Voltura sat on the opposite end of the small control room. She seemed quite content with picking at her nails. "I don't see why you're asking me."

"Maybe, and see if you can follow me here, I want an opinion," he said, actively pausing long enough to get her attention, "from my new lieutenant."

She narrowed her eyes at this. "What?"

"I think you heard right. I need an enforcer, someone who can keep order on the field. Missions are going to be getting… dicey. Am I wrong to believe that you are such a person?"

"You are wrong to assume that I am a fool! Bribery! I honestly thought better of you!"

Voltura stood to leave, turning toward the door in a huff. But when she took the handle, she was halted by his hand over hers. His touch was uncomfortable… she wanted it to end. He stood just beside her now, but the most she could do was look out of the corner of her eye. The pressure he exuded, not just physically but mentally, was not pleasant for her.

"It's not bribery… it's not even a favor. We both know you don't need a favor. What you need, or at last severely want, is more power. Isn't that what we all desire? All I want in return is someone I can trust."

"You're a fool if you think you can trust me," she hissed, trying to take back her hand. "Let me go."

"… Fine."

Her hand was released, and she rubbed it idly as he backed away into the shadow, lit only by the blue light of his computer screen. Voltura continued to stare at the door handle. It should be easy to leave now… it should be.

"Is it not enough to be a lieutenant? Do you want… more?"

"You sound like…" she whispered, not wanting to say the name that came to her mind. She was a villain, cold and cruel, but there are some evils you just don't invoke. Some demons you don't name.

"Yes, I get that a lot. Well, if you aren't prepared for a position of power in this organization, that's fine. But please, do contact your family. I have a mission of the utmost importance. And it's the sort that will make you rich. … Richer."

She pulled the door open and beat a hasty retreat into the hall, never looking back, only nodding in affirmation before disappearing from his sight. After a time, M pulled the door shut, blocking the dark hallway from the light of his computer screens. He sat down and mused quietly to himself.

"That went well."

On the screen sat a display of heroes and villains, chess pieces to his scheme. The cursor rolled over the first of the twins, the next target in the campaign. Such a brilliant plan.

--

_Miracle City High School, 12:13 PM_

--

Lunch was quiet for them. Relatively so, anyway; you can't really have silence in a space filled with some three hundred people. But Manny and Frida were rarely this quiet. They'd talk, they'd laugh, and they'd share stories and plan mischief. But one would have to wait many a week to see the friends not do any of the above. They both knew something was bothering the other. Manny was sure that by now Frida had learned of him dating her nemesis. And Frida seemed apprehensive about… he had no idea. She didn't either, really. Maybe it was his anxiety bleeding over, making her feel nervous too. They would occasionally trade glances, looking away whenever eye contact was made.

"… Do you wanna' talk about it?"

"What?" Manny turned and looked at her. She was staring off into the crowd, or space, or whatever there was to see. "Talk about what?"

"Whatever's bothering you." She looked at him now. His eyes met hers again, but this time they didn't look away. Concern, or curiosity, or some combination, forbade it.

"Am I that transparent?"

"Nah… it's just that when this happens," she said waving her hand back and forth, "this awkward silence thing, it means something's wrong. So, wanna' talk?"

He pushed the food around his plate. It wasn't satisfying him at all, the eating thing. Playing with it seemed far more productive. At least that stopped him from dealing with this.

"Whatever… hey, I only got a little homework so far. We could hang out tonight. Arcade?"

"… Maybe…"

Manny sighed and rested his forehead on his hand, glancing off toward the table at the far end of courtyard. He saw her there, and he smiled. Zoe, on the other hand, was having an exceedingly energetic day. Vitalized by her own blossoming emotions, she smiled and laughed with Diego. She was so much more noticeable when she was happy… perhaps even more attractive.

"So, any reason you're looking at her like that?"

"Because she's," he stopped mid-sentence, struggling to change it at the last second. "Because she's distracting me. I'm spacing out, and she's right there."

Silence penetrated their conversation again. He was certain she saw through his lie. But that she chose not to pursue it further was something of a relief to him. Combined with the absence of a dejected, disappointed, or angry look, it seemed Manny Rivera was in the clear. Zoe Aves, not so much. Diego was happy that she was happy, but only on the outside. Inside he was angry. Inside he was jealous. He wanted what she had, on some level. He also didn't want to express that for fear of the countless repercussions.

"So," Zoe began, "what did you do last night?"

"Homework…"

"Homework, eh?

"Yes," he said with a false smile, "my homework. It was a, uh, boring night."

"You know, I can tell when you're lying." She reached over and tapped Diego's nose with a single finger, taunting him with her touch.

"You can?"

"Yes. But I won't tell you how unless you share."

He sighed. How do women do that? Just the same, he related his story of the night before. His ruse, as brilliant as it was, resulted in him doing all of Frida's work. Work he had to do all over again for HIS assignments. But, on the bright side…

"You're going to do it again?" she asked while snickering.

"Yes I am! Why are you laughing?"

"Heh, no reason."

"Great… now how could you tell I was lying?"

"It was a gamble. I didn't know for sure."

Diego sat dumbfounded. Such trickery. He found himself once more caught between Frida and Zoe, stuck in the precarious position of who to pursue. And like each time before, this would not have a peaceful resolution. His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of Zoe's personal communicator. That damn thing was always going off, breaking trains of thought, disrupting normal goings on. What was worse was the fact that Zoe ALWAYS had to respond to her stupid watch. This time was no different. She excused herself and disappeared from sight and sound. Diego could understand withdrawing from the noise of the lunch yard, but not vanishing altogether. Wait… did she actually excuse herself from the table?

"What is it?"

"_Don't be rude, young lady. You're at lunch now?"_

"… Yes."

"_Good. We're needed for a mission after school. High stakes."_

"Does… does it have to be today? I was hoping to-."

"_You were hoping what?"_

In the background Zoe overheard another voice, her grandmother's. _"She was hoping to go out with boy again."_

"_A boy?! What boy?!"_

"I-it doesn't matter! I'll be there!"

Zoe turned the communicator off and slumped against the pillar blocking her from view. Her good mood was spoiled. She slid down the cold support until she was sitting, knowing full well the trouble she'd be in later the second the communicator went off again.

--

_Rivera Estate, 3:05 PM_

_--_

Manny, though not expressing it, was happy all the while as he walked home. But it was obvious to his Grandpapi that he was in good spirits. And normally this sort of happiness has but one source.

"You meet a girl."

Manny jumped when he heard Grandpapi speak. As the old villain emerged from the shadows, he wore a slick smile and raised an eyebrow, eager to hear that he was right. Though the silence said it all, Manny found himself wanting to respond anyway.

"Yeah, I did. … Grandpapi, where have you been? I haven't seen you in like, two days."

"Oh, well," he muttered as he held a heavy golden artifact behind his back, "nowhere special. Certainly not Holland. Why would I go to Holland?"

"Uh-huuuuuh… will the news say something different?"

"… They cannot prove anything."

Manny laughed. Grandpapi, despite his advancing years, would not let go of his pastime of thievery. But you would certainly think that by now the man would be better at lying.

"Enough about priceless treasures and land below sea level. Tell me about the girl."

"I really like her, Grandpapi," he began following him into his room. "And I don't even have to show off my Tigre powers to get her to like me."

"Oh, so she like you back, eh?"

Manny smiled wider this time, looking away.

"I see… so, have you told her yet?"

"No… I was gonna' do it today, after the third date. But, uh, I really have no idea what I'm gonna' do. I mean… what did you do with Grandmami when you went out with her?"

"Well, Manny," he replied slowly, "women are not like men. They like silly things, like flowers and puppies. But what REALLY gets them is the sunset. Your grandmami was just like that, and your girl is probably the same way. So what I did is both brilliant and so stupid that anyone could do it…"

--

_Jewelry Shop, Center of Town, 3:40 PM_

--

For a time, it seemed as though Miracle City would go a day without crime, without mayhem. Hell, without fear. That hope was shattered. The people inside the jewelry shop were unlucky enough to be in the way of a heist. El Oso crashed through the wall, much as he always does, laughing wildly as he stomped his way to the head jeweler.

"You know why I'm here, man! All of them, now!"

The clerk was compliant. After all, El Oso was strong enough to take just about any hero in hand to hand and win. Tearing off a jeweler's arms would be similar to eating pudding without teeth. But it wasn't the heist that was going to be big news tonight. Of course, the Golden Eagle Twins wouldn't really know that for another ten minutes or so. They drew closer to the nearest crime in their zeppelin, which, coincidentally, was Oso's robbery. Once overhead, they fluttered out, flying lower until Oso could no longer ignore their presence.

"Halt, criminal!" shouted Carla as they dropped to the ground. The twins stood smiling, expecting their opponent to just surrender as they always did. No one ever messed with the twins. They were just too powerful.

"Halt yourself, man!"

"Cool, he's resisting arrest." Carlito smirked, popping his knuckles. "It's been a long time since I've gotten any exercise."

"Then you're gonna' get the work out of your lives, man!"

As the exchange of threats proceeded on the street, on a nearby building stood the waiting Flock of Fury. Voltura watched eagerly, waiting for a mark, a chance, anything. Her laser was at the ready, eager for combat. Cuervo was not. And Lady Gobbler sensed this. She approached her granddaughter slowly, alerting the villain with the clank of her cane-like weapon.

"What's wrong, mija?"

Cuervo remained quiet, staring at the roof on which they stood. She felt worried for some reason. "It's nothing."

"If it was nothing you wouldn't be sad."

"… Grandmami…"

"Alright, that's our mark," Voltura said as she turned, "time to end the Twins once and for all!"

There was a delay between the time that Voltura took flight and the time at which Cuervo and Gobbler followed suit. That hesitation didn't go unnoticed, and Voltura took note of it. For now, she'd let it go. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagle Twins were making fairly short work of El Oso, who was here solely as the bait for the attack. When the Twins took note of the approaching villains, they launched themselves into the air. Oso climbed to his feet, and stumbling about managed to collect a good deal of the jewels he had plundered. M had made it clear that money was indeed an objective here.

"The Flock of Fury… we haven't seen you since-."

Carla was interrupted by a blast of green energy. She swerved to the side just in time to avoid getting shot through the chest. Slightly outraged at the haste of the attack, she turned her gaze to Voltura.

"Hey! I was in the middle of something!"

"Tough."

Looking up to find the one who said that, Carla was met by a strong kick to the head as Cuervo closed the gap and struck hard. Carlito was, at the time, busy gracefully avoiding Lady Gobbler's attacks. Seeing his sister fall, though, he dived sharply to catch her and stabilize her. Carla shook her head to dispel the dizziness that plagued her.

"They're playing dirty today…"

"Yep. Guess we'll just have to return the favor."

"Let's!"

The Twins took wing once more, flying hard toward the Flock above. As they drew in close, fists glowing with golden light, they separated and came at the villains in a pincer attack. The attack failed, but it was not their only measure of offense. Sweeping back around, they managed to catch Voltura off guard, sending her spiraling to the street just below from the impact. Instead of reforming rank, though, the remaining Flock members separated. Lady Gobbler descended to help her stunned daughter, while Black Cuervo held her position, firing bursts of energy at the Twins. She retreated higher and higher as they pursued her, preparing to attack again. It seemed inevitable that Cuervo would be in an inescapable position; once she was atop the Golden Eagle Zeppelin she retreated across its surface, firing blindly at the Twins as she ran. Her reason for this was not apparent at first.

"Give it up, Black Cuervo!"

"We've got you outnumbered!"

Cuervo stopped and turned, smiling evilly behind her visor. "No… you've got yourselves outnumbered."

In the distance, if one were looking through a pair of binoculars, one might be able to pick out along the rooftops a villain equipped with robotic battle armor. Senor Siniestro, aiming a particularly nasty rifle at the zeppelin, stared through an electronic scope, keeping an eye on the target.

"I have them in my sight, partner!"

"_Good… fire!"_

The sound of a distant, very powerful gun shot caught the attention of the Twins. As they looked for the source of the sound, Cuervo flew forward. The zeppelin rocked with an impact, and a fiery explosion followed. It quickly started burning away at the vulnerable structure of the air ship. The Twins didn't have time to react to the attack, or to Cuervo's plan; tying a line to both siblings' arms, she flew to the head of the ship and pierced the metal eagle head with a steel anchor, binding them to the burning vessel. With a wicked, piercing laugh, Black Cuervo jumped off the quickly falling zeppelin, flying off into the distance. Screaming as they found themselves unable to escape this horrible trap, Carla and Carlito had little choice but to join the zeppelin in fiery oblivion.


	9. Chapter 9

Did anybody else have fun this weekend? I certainly did, and I'm sure everyone else at the… let me see now, one, two, three parties I went to did too. Two Halloween parties and one Dia de los Muertos celebration. That's good fun right there.

But back to business. I'm doing some playing around with characters in this chapter, particularly how they would respond to disaster, but once again something doesn't feel quite right. If someone seems out of place in terms of character, please tell me who, how, and what they think would be better.

**Chapter 9, Aftermath**

--

_Jewelry Shop, Thursday, 8:35 PM_

--

Police Chief Suarez carefully waded through the debris as he pieced together what had happened. He had to be exceptionally careful not only because this was a crime scene, but because it was still fairly hot. It took four hours for fire crews to gain any semblance of control over the fire that left four buildings ruined and several others damaged. All that remained of the Golden Eagle Zeppelin was the melted framework, now fused tightly to the street. The media was toting this as the worst crime that Miracle City had ever seen… and though he knew it certainly was not, it was bad all the same. It had been a long time since a super hero had been beaten so completely. Of course, those poor heroes were trying to defeat El Mal Verde. What chance did they have? But this was… this was different. There was no hungry monster, no elaborate plot to resurrect some ridiculously old set of bones, no attempt to steal an artifact of immeasurable power. This was a trap, pure and simple. Someone wanted the Twins dead from the moment they returned to Miracle City. As Chief Suarez stared at the rubble, another officer approached him.

"More bad news?"

"Yes sir… it seems that someone called in a report before the zeppelin went down."

"Yes," Suarez said turning, "and?"

"Senor Siniestro was sighted on a roof top with, and I quote, "a really big gun"… no one thought anything of it."

Chief Suarez sighed, wiping away sweat from his forehead. This was messy. Eye witnesses placed both El Oso and the Flock of Fury at the scene, but no one had any idea how the blimp went up. Siniestro… that made a whole lot of sense. Unfortunately they did not react to this in time. Miracle City had been dealt a serious blow to its pride simply because no one thought it was unusual for a maniac with a gun to be up on a roof top. Both of the Twins had survived… barely. Carla was in critical condition, and though the news had not been informed of it, it did not appear she would survive. The blast seared her lungs severely, leaving her all but unable to breath. Compounded with internal bleeding, it seemed inevitable that she would die. Carlito, luckily enough, survived the attack with a broken spine. He wouldn't be able to do anything for at least eight weeks.

"There's something else, sir."

"What is it?"

"It's… well, the governor isn't at all happy about this." There was a painful silence. Was anybody really happy about this? Surely no; nothing like this ever left anybody happy. Even the villains would feel a little nervous about this. "The governor has decided to move troops in."

"… Martial law."

"Yes sir."

"… I need some time to think."

Leaving the rubble with a stern glare, Chief Suarez found his way to his squad car. He sat down inside of it and just rested for a moment. How did it get this bad? At what point did Miracle City stray so far?

--

_Rivera Estate, 8:47 PM_

--

Grandpapi and Manny watched the news unfold minute after painstaking minute. Manny was especially upset by this. True, he had never really cared for the Golden Eagle Twins after they proved to be nasty, materialistic worms, but this? They didn't deserve this. No one deserved it. As the media presented the facts, he became more and more outraged. The villains had taken this a step too far.

"Cuervo…"

"This is bad," said Grandpapi, "martial law?"

The reporter paused for a moment, holding her ear for a moment as she listened to the fresh news being fed to her. Judging by how she slumped in utter despair, it couldn't have been good. Shuddering as she reported, she had to fight hard to keep sadness from overwhelming her.

"_We… we have just received word that Carla of the Golden Eagle Twins has died of her injuries. Carlito is still in critical condition. Nothing more to report…"_

--

_Avez Residence, 8:47 PM_

--

"… _died of her injuries. Carlito is still in critical condition. Nothing more to report."_

Zoe pressed the power button on the remote and withdrew from the world. In the other room she could hear her mother and grandmother arguing about something, though she couldn't tell what. They were succeeding at keeping whatever it was they were talking about hidden. Zoe whimpered as she pulled her knees to her chest. She felt horrible. True, she had done horrible things in the past. She even actively TRIED to kill people before. But she had never succeeded, never had to deal with the aftermath. She whimpered again as she remembered how she felt when she bound the Twins to the burning air ship: she liked it. She enjoyed dooming them to a horrible demise. But now Zoe felt like she was the one who was dying.

--

_Rivera Estate, 9:00 PM_

--

"… _This concludes our official broadcast time, but we will remain on air as long as possible."_

Grandpapi turned off the television, no longer wanting to hear the bad news. He turned to Manny, seeing him stare angrily at the floor. Manny had always had something of a neutral relationship with Black Cuervo… but now hatred festered in his heart. He thought about going out to find her, just so he could fight her. He didn't care that it wasn't heroic, that it wasn't honorable. It was just too offensive to let go.

"Manny… let's have some ice cream."

Manny didn't move as his grandfather walked past him. He heard him in the kitchen, dishing out the dessert that he just didn't think he could enjoy right now. Of course, this wasn't really ice cream you enjoy… this is ice cream that you need. Cathartic, emotional, calm your mind ice cream. Grandpapi returned moments later with two bowls, stopping to hand one to his grandson. When Manny did not take it, he left it on the cushion next to him. When he heard the sound of a spoon absently scraping around at the bottom of a bowl, Manny turned his head a little. Grandpapi had not taken a single bite yet… maybe it wouldn't hurt to try eating. Manny picked the bowl up and started jabbing the ice cream with his spoon. It felt strangely therapeutic.

--

_Suarez Residence, 9:00 PM_

--

Frida sat on the couch silently, staring down at the floor. Diego sat opposite to her, thinking hard about everything that had happened in the past five hours or so. Hell, the things that happened in the past two were hard for him to deal with. Zoe was implicated… and he knew M was at the center of this. He knew that Zoe would never do this under normal circumstances. And then his old friend Sergio turns out to have played a part? What is this madness? He recalled how the day had gone… he showed up at Frida's door after school, just as she requested. They set to work right away. Well, he set to work. Frida did indeed attempt to do some problems herself, but that quickly changed. Neither one of them knew what had happened until a phone call five minutes after Frida had tricked Diego into doing her homework again. Turn on the news. That's what they had said. After watching it, Frida felt empty. Diego knew right away what would come of this. He had tried to leave, to return to the lab so he could begin working on something. But Frida asked something of him. He kept replaying it in his mind…

"_Please… stay a while longer."_

Now he stared at her. She had barely moved in the hours that followed the disaster. In fact, he had done just about everything in an attempt to keep things moving. Falling apart just wasn't something that Diego did. He stood again, stretching his arms and legs. This got Frida's attention.

"You're not leaving… are you?"

"No," he whispered, "I just need some air."

He left her there as he walked down the stairs. He was met by the two growling dogs that Frida loved so inexplicably. After slowly inching past them without taking his eyes away for even a second, he slipped out the front door. The air seemed unnaturally cold… but this only bothered him a little. What was more worrisome was how he could not get a hold of Sergio. They had been best friends since seventh grade, and even into high school. But at some point, it just seemed that Sergio was sinking deeper into sewage of villainy. Tonight made it look as though the boy he knew was dead and gone. After trying to call him for the third time, Diego sighed in defeat, deciding instead to just sit and stare out into the night. He turned around when he heard the door open, finding Frida had come out to join him. She sat next to him on the porch, twiddling her thumbs for a brief time.

"Sorry for freaking you out…"

"What?"

"I got a little needy," she admitted, now a little ashamed of it. "Sorry. It's been a harsh week. Coping's a little trickier nowadays."

"I think I know what you mean."

--

_Avez Residence, 9:00 PM_

--

Zoe held the phone in her hands, just staring at it. She felt sick to her stomach, and more than anything she wanted relief. She thought that maybe he would bring her some. She believed that. But three digits into the phone call and she slammed back onto the hook. Zoe rested against the wall as she fought off her sobs. What could she say to make herself feel better? He was behaving more like a hero than a villain, lately… and murder was probably not something she could get away with, even if El Tigre was misbehaving. She couldn't tell him anything to relieve her pain. She couldn't tell anybody, and it was driving her mad!

"Calm down… calm down… calm…"

After Zoe had broken down a bit, sliding down the wall as she stifled her tears, she regained control and slowed her breathing down. She needed something to keep her calm, and the only person who could do that was Manny. She didn't need to say anything, just talk to him. That's perfectly reasonable. Reaching up and grabbing the phone, she dialed the number in slowly and deliberately, this time forcing herself to finish what she had started. It rang several times, and then the machine picked it up. After the beep, Zoe tried to speak, but nothing came out, so hanging up was simply the right thing to do. But she didn't feel better, which was really all she wanted from this, so she dialed again. This time it was answered almost immediately.

"_'Ello?"_

"… Uhm, is Manny there…?"

"_Who shall I say is calling?"_

"… Zoe?"

"_Zoe, eh… oh, you the girl! Wait one minute!"_

Zoe sat baffled, wondering if Manny's grandfather was getting any weirder in his old age. Probably not, but sometimes it's hard to tell with old people. Hell, some young people get a little weird within a day's time. After a moment, Zoe felt a little cold inside. All her fears ran rampant… but she perked up when he picked up the phone.

"_Zoe?"_

"Hola Manny…"

"_Are you okay?"_

"I… yes… I'm fine."

"… _You can tell me if you aren't."_

"… I'm scared…"

"_Oh,"_ his voice seemed tired, like he was not really in the mood for a talk like this. But he mustered the effort anyway. _"I think we all are."_

--

_Rooftops of Miracle City, 9:15 PM_

--

White Pantera, in an effort to aid in this trying time, was searching the area that Senor Siniestro was reportedly seen. So far all he had found was a single large round casing. It was unlike any bullet he had ever seen… the police had no ideas about it either. This was proving to be a most difficult crime to solve, but all they really lacked was a motive. Of course, there was the obvious: the Golden Eagle Twins are a major threat, and the current trend in crime suggests that the villains would set aside their differences to put this threat to bed quickly. But that's what bothered him. Villains, at least the ones in Miracle City, don't readily work together. And when they do, it's usually only temporary. But so far three major crimes have been committed within one week, and the only link between them was cooperation between statistically uncooperative groups of people. Pantera sat on the edge of the roof as he thought on this. There had to be something here he was missing, some stone left unturned, some clue unfound. He looked over the edge when he heard the sound of car doors slamming. The police were giving up… apparently there was nothing left to find. He too decided to move on. But he wouldn't give up. Someone out there knew something. He kept that in mind as he jumped to the next roof, then the one after that.


	10. Chapter 10

((Loaded a second time because of an error I could NOT ignore.))

What a horrible week… but at least now it's done. This chapter has been inside my head since the very beginning. It will probably upset you die hard Frida x Manny fans, but be sure to pay attention not only to what's written, but to obvious notions that I've used for the writing.

Now to answer the question: who is M?

--

**Chapter 10, M**

--

_Miracle City Airport, Saturday, 4:30 PM_

--

Two days… it has been only two days since the attack. But the people had to keep moving; letting their lives become disrupted by such a brutal and heartless maneuver as that done two days ago would only give strength to the perpetrators. Most industries, though taking a day of silence in remembrance of those lost, have returned to business as usual, though somewhat quieter. A young American sat at his gate, waiting for the arrival of his plane. He was innocuous: brown hair, brown eyes, a white business shirt and dark gray pants. He read a newspaper quietly until a burly, thick bearded man emerged from the crowd and sat down next to him. There was silence between them, until the bearded man turned to him.

"Transferring to Egypt?"

"Absolutely… it will prove to be most marvelous."

"… You sure you don't want me to go instead?"

"Completely," M said, not even shifting his gaze a little, "and you should be more careful with your speech. I might suspect you're not from around here."

"Sorry senor… but…"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. No one knows anything anyway. I'm a little concerned about the littlest Aves, though. She hasn't reported in since the 'take over'."

"I'll keep an eye out."

"Good. If you need me for anything, I'll keep my cell on."

"_Flight 778, non-stop to Egypt, is boarding."_

"That's my plane, Nicky." Standing and folding his paper, M smoothed his hair out. No one even noticed him. No one ever did. "Oh, I do have one more thing."

"Da?"

"Careful… make sure Aves and Rivera solidify their relationship."

"… I don't get you. I know you, you're a cutthroat. Why do you want them to be together?"

"Because deep down under this cutthroat skin beats the heart of a softy, who also just happens to be an opportunist. You know, Nicky, you should read the Art of War. You might learn something about declaring war."

Nikolai watched M leave out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to draw anymore attention to them. The real reason he wanted to go to Egypt himself was because he hated being in charge, hated having to copy his friend more than anyone else. It just felt unnatural. But orders were orders, and Nikolai always followed orders.

--

_Casa del Macho Entrance, 4:40 PM_

--

It has been a long 48 hours… and after all that time, White Pantera was just beat. He searched every corner of the city worth searching, turned over every scummy little rock he could find. None of his contacts knew anything about the attack. They all seemed too on edge to know anything, which was the disturbing part.

"Hola White Pantera."

"Hola Ms. Chichita…"

That at least brightened his day a little. No matter what happened, little old Ms. Chichita was always kind enough for a friendly hello; refreshing in a city overrun with brutal criminals and frenzy-prone monsters. Too tired to walk much further, Pantera pressed his finger against the elevator call button, pressing his face against the wall as he leaned forward. And until the elevator arrived, he remained in that position, dazed by his exhaustion, haunted by his inability to find anything out. He was starting to lose patience with whoever was really behind this… and he knew someone was.

--

_Rivera Estate, 4:45 PM_

--

In a mad attempt to block out his personal outrage, Manny busied himself with running on the treadmill. He had been working out since this morning, moving from one machine to another to keep his body burning. But it was not helping as much as he thought it would; he was still angry, smoldering inside. He worried maybe he would accidentally let that fury boil into hate. One should never let hate ooze into their heart. Even Grandpapi warned against that. After the treadmill beeped, signaling the end of the trial, Manny stopped pumping his legs, letting the remaining momentum push him to the edge of the machine. When at the end of it, he jumped down, and sat down upon the hard plastic of the device. Rubbing his eyes to rid them of the odd burning sensation, he found that he was indeed very warm, but not sweating very much. Okay, maybe more water was in order. It was a short walk into the kitchen, and upon retrieving a pitcher of not water but horchata, Manny walked away from the refrigerator. He stopped when he saw a pair of boots up in the air in his father's favorite chair. Investigations led to the discovery of a very tired, very much asleep White Pantera.

"… Where have you been?"

"… Wha, huh?"

"Come on, dad. You'll hurt your back again if you sleep in the chair like this."

Seemed logical… pushing himself up off the arm rest, Rodolfo found his chest was sore from being draped over the harder part of his otherwise comfortable seat. He couldn't walk straight, so Manny, smiling tiredly, supported him on the walk to bed. Dropping down, Rodolfo hit the soft mattress with such a sigh that he was immediately asleep. Manny further aided him by removing first his mask, letting his face breathe a little, and his boots. He left immediately with a green face after removing the boots. But before he could return to his workout, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Hey Manny."_

"Hey Frida… how… how are you doing?"

"'_Bout the same as you…"_

"Yeah," Manny sighed, leaning against the wall as he spoke. "So what's up?"

"… _There has to be something up?"_

"Well, no, but…"

"_I was thinking that, I dunno, we could hang out today… we haven't hung out all week."_

"… Sure, I can see that happening."

"_Do you want me to come over?"_

"Yeah, that'd be nice. Be careful, okay?"

--

_Aves Residence, 5:03 PM_

--

Zoe hugged her pillow tight to her chest, drifting into sleep every now and then when the moment seemed right. But she was having some difficulty with staying asleep. At first she thought it was her conscience, and that she was simply having dreams that she couldn't remember afterwards. But the real reason was even less complicated: she was just hungry. Her body was crying out for lunch, or dinner, or whatever meal was appropriate for the time of day. Her mind, however, decided she should suffer, if only for a while. She heard the phone ringing, but did nothing. After four rings it stopped, and she forgot about it. But a minute later it rang again, this time only twice. There were words exchanged, a raised voice, then quiet. A knock on the door.

"Zoe, phone for you."

"Who is it?"

"… M."

She leaned forward, immediately wearing a scowl. Him? What did HE want? As far as she could tell, he was the source of all her pain. Well, her current pain. Normally when she felt this bad she'd get numb by now. But it seemed murder was harder to get used to. She stood, shaking a bit from her hunger, and opened her door. There stood her mother, who, despite the turmoil of the event two days ago, was no less powerful looking. But her eyes seemed more sunken. They exchanged gazes for a moment, each thinking exactly what the other was, but not vocalizing it. Zoe picked up the receiver, apprehensive about what would happen now.

"What do you want?"

"_Don't be rude, brat."_

"Did you just call me brat?!"

"…"

"You listen to me! No one calls Zoe Aves a brat! So help me, if you even THINK about insulting me again, even a little, I will find you, and slit your throat."

"_I'll keep that in mind… but now that you've spoken your mind, may I proceed with my business?"_

"Whatever…"

"_Fantastic. Now, you've gone on two dates with Rivera."_

"Yeah."

"_When's the third?"_

"We haven't planned it yet."

"_Well, plan it. If he's reacting at all like he… I planned, then Rivera's going to be in a fragile state. He'll be glad to see that someone is upset about him being upset."_

"I'll keep that in mind…"

Without another word, Zoe hung up, no longer afraid of M, just what he would make her do. She now felt that she had made a deal with the devil. And a white devil, no less. She set about returning to her dark pit of a room, when out of nowhere her mother took her by the shoulder.

"Oh no you don't. You're eating something, young lady."

"… You don't have to drag me to the table, though."

--

_Rivera Estate, 5:45 PM_

--

Baking in the afternoon sun; now there's a relaxing activity. Manny took a sip of his soda and sighed, smiling as he leaned back into his sun chair. Frida, meanwhile, was busying herself with a UV reflector and basking in the added warmth it gave her face. Which was starting to get a little too warm… far too warm. She quickly grew too sweaty to deal with it any longer.

"I'm going swimming."

"Alright," Manny replied, not really listening. In his mind, he was far off, somewhere where he didn't have to worry about the crap of everyday life. Things have always gotten bad, but they did eventually bounce back too. And things have gotten really bad. This was troubling to him. If things got bad enough, would they bounce back? Without opening his eyes, he asked his friend something. "Frida… how long do you think this whole crackdown thing is gonna last?"

Manny sat up when he heard a splash, recalling her saying something about a swim. That actually didn't sound like a bad idea. He approached the edge of the water about the time that Frida surfaced again, arching her body to press the water out of her hair. She looked… refreshed. Frida turned around to see Manny just staring at her, which caused her both to smile and raise an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"Oh, right!" He bent his legs to jump in, but heard the phone ringing. What now? "Huh, hang on."

"Don't take forever!"

The tiles of the entry way were surprisingly cool, causing Manny to walk on the ball of his foot. Must have been hotter than he first thought it was. He reached the phone in time to avoid that whole missed call nonsense.

"Hello."

"_Hello Manny."_

"Oh, Zoe…" he responded quietly, looking out the window to see Frida just floating on the water. "Uh, what's up?"

"_Nothing… I was just thinking maybe you would like to go out tonight."_

"I, uh, don't think tonight's gonna work for me."

The silence that followed was a little unsettling. Manny wondered now if that was the wrong choice. He was trying to form something with Zoe, wasn't he? Should he have just said yes?

"_Well, how about tomorrow night?"_

"Tomorrow night would be perfect," he said happily, and then he recalled something. "Better yet, how about tomorrow, at about six, in the park. I know it's not really, you know, your style, but I found something yesterday that I'd like to show you."

"_That sounds nice. I'll be there."_

"Great! Bye Zoe." Hanging up gently, Manny returned to the pool with a smile born from far more than just satisfaction. Frida took notice of this when he was about to jump in, and waited for him to surface to ask about it.

"So, who was that?"

"… Uhh… wrong number."

--

_Chipotle's Secret Lab, 6:04 PM_

--

Diego paced about, variously clenching and unclenching his robotic arm. It goes without saying that something was bothering him. At its simplest value, it was the fact that his friends had sunk to such depths to get what they want. Sergio had always been fairly Machiavellian, but not once had he ever considered killing anybody. … Anybody who wasn't El Tigre. Let's face it, every villain in Miracle City wanted to kill El Tigre. But now Diego couldn't, for the life of him, figure out Sergio's motivation. What could drive him to serve M so viciously? And the Flock of Fury, which had always been amongst the most isolationist of the villains, was essentially acting as M's private strike force. M… that was the common denominator. But M was a tough mystery to solve. You can't Google M. You can't find him anywhere. And to ask him who he is? Well, no one dares to do that; Diego wondered why. Who was M, really? Who would know?

"Think, think! Oh, the pentagon."

Returning to his computer, Diego clicked open his web browser. Moving the cursor up over Favorites, the list opened and showed your standard array of web sites: favorite recipes, web comics, online games, Wikipedia, and there at the end, the pentagon. That's certainly reassuring. Opening the window to what one would hope was a secure network, Diego proceeded to open the United States government's international files. He searched for M, and was surprised about what he found.

"Peru, Russia, India, Japan, most of Africa, half of China… M operates in all of these places? But, isn't he just…"

--

_Cairo, Sunday, 6:00 AM_

--

M was riding in a limousine, barely awake after the long flight. And to think the jet lag hadn't even set in yet. This is why M hated these summits, just hated travel in general. But, this guaranteed more money for hot spots like Miracle City. It also gave him a chance to make sure everybody was still playing the game by his rules. The limo stopped in front of a rather elaborate hotel, the finest in Cairo. Wasn't really hard for it to be the best, though, considering the state that Egypt was in; those same economic and political hardships that made the country ideal for the annual summit also made it a little nasty to be in. Far more used to comfortable settings, M frowned when he saw the hotel, a testament to old European interferences and a general resistance towards updating. But it would have to do; no other hotel had what he was looking for. The limo driver opened the door, and out he stepped.

"We are here sir."

"I gathered… be back here tonight, eight sharp."

--

_The Park, 6:00 PM_

--

Manny stood at the entrance, breathing hard, trying his best not to let his heart explode. He grew more and more excited as he recalled his grandfather's words, the best dating advice the old man has ever given him:

"_Flowers and sunsets, mijo. The ladies love them both. So both together just makes perfect sense."_

That was the secret? It didn't seem like much, but the more you thought about it, the more it made absolutely perfect sense. If someone likes two things separately, then both of them mixed together had to be great. This logic, naturally, should not be applied to food. Beware of combining food. Manny, in his anxiety, turned to look down the street, the most likely direction Zoe would come from. He was wrong.

"Hello Manny."

"Gah!" Falling over from his shock, and the sudden release of his anxiety, Manny rolled over to look up at Zoe. "How do you always do that?"

"I lurk in the shadows waiting for you to turn your back," she replied with a coy smile, glancing at her nails in a relaxed fashion. She restrained a giggle when Manny stood, trying as hard as possible not to smile himself. "So, what is it you wanted to show me?"

"Well, it won't be ready for another half hour or so… so let's just go relax a bit, okay?"

"Hm, what are you setting me up for, Rivera?" She leaned in close, running her fingers under his chin. "Is this some insidious trap I'm falling for?"

He smiled and presented his arm, wanting to be gentlemanly in every fashion. She took it eagerly and together they walked into the park. At this stage in the day, people were still out and about; families enjoyed this last day of play before having to force the inevitable week ahead, and the birds flew about as they sang their song. Under any other circumstances, this would all drive Zoe crazy. But she wouldn't let it get to her, not while she had Manny. That he would let her old him by the arm, let her touch him… it lifted her up. Now it didn't matter how much she hurt before. His presence was more than healing for her, it was purifying. It was all that mattered to her now. Lost in her light-headed world of school girl love, Zoe at first did not notice when Manny had stopped and broken contact with her. He was bending over to get something, and when she looked around she saw an entire row of red lilies. When he stood again, he had plucked one off the stem and turned to her, gently planting it in her hair. She blushed so badly she could feel her face heating up, and turned away to hide her reddened face. Manny laughed a bit and took her hand, continuing the walk through the park. Time passed, and the couple found themselves sitting on a bench. Zoe sighed looking out into the city, marveling at the beauty she had never realized existed or even cared to think about. The sun set sent rays of vibrant orange and red shimmering across stone and glass, making the windows seem like thousands of diamonds cut from the sun itself. She leaned forward to take it all in, eyes shuddering as though they would shed tears at any moment.

"Manny, I… this is just."

"You like it?"

"I love it…"

Zoe turned to him, face reflecting such unearthly joy that it seemed a great shame that her hair was covering her face. Manny slowly reached out and pushed away the hair that always seemed to cover this otherwise beautiful girl's features. But once the obstruction was gone, Manny could not remove his hand. Holding her gently, he pulled Zoe in close and the two shared the first of their many kisses ahead. But in the shadow of a tree lurked someone who had long waited for this to happen, for the chance opportunity. A young man, who couldn't be more than 13, watched with sharp eyes, smiling grimly as Manny and Zoe expressed what could only be love. He jumped on quite the coincidence: three teenagers, all of whom knew Manny Rivera well. Among them was a young woman by the name of Lupita, who always kept her hair spiked into her trademark Mohawk.

"Hey, is that Manny Rivera?" The three teens turned to see whatever this kid was talking about. Lupita, who was on good terms with Frida, could not believe her eyes. The kid spoke up again. "Who's that he's kissing?"

--

_Cairo, Top Secret Location, 8:58 PM_

--

Men and women from all over world were gathered into a dimly lit meeting hall. Each had a small fluorescent lamp over their position, and many had documents of various detail and subject. In all, these fifty-two representatives represented fifty-two countries all linked together by a common goal. They all represented criminal interests, all lusted for power and wealth, power and wealth given to them thanks to the founding of the organization known as M. Their goal? One need only look at the massive screen at the front and center of the room. The words were clear as day in the dark room: the world belongs to us.

A criminal ambassador from Germany leaned over to his companion from neighboring France. "Do you think he's running late?"

"Maybe… but I think my watch needs repairing."

"I told you last time that you need to keep it wound up. The parts get warped if you don't."

"_Ladies and gentlemen, attention to the front please. Chairman Maxim has arrived."_

The room fell mostly silent, but for the muttering of a few representatives who had to conclude their conversations. The lights at the front lit up long enough for Maxim, known to outsiders as the sole member of the secret organization of criminals called M. Two years spent setting it all up, and four years of existence, and what did Maxim have to show for it? The greatest assembly of illegal interests yet known. An evil UN. Maxim took his seat, and the lights dimmed.

"Thank you all for coming to the fourth annual Summit of M. In case nobody has been following the news, we will cover recent efforts to take control of Mexico. But first, old business."

The words on the screen were replaced with the image of an eight-pointed compass star, and within that star was the letter M.


	11. Chapter 11

I have to give shout outs again. I have to. After the last chapter, I received four reviews, all of which stated that my story was both enjoyable and intriguing. But one of those four told me something that just made me smile with unbelievable joy. Supermacho, thank you very much!

Moving on. I named this title because of the change in relationships people go through when they find someone they want to be with. Our attraction to one person often leads to the repulsion of others. There is a point in this chapter where it may be wise to bump up the rating to avoid bureaucratic static, a point influenced by the art of a deviant named Garabatoz. Heard of him? Well, whatever. We'll see how it goes.

--

"_Never will those who wage war tire of deception." – Sun Tzu, the Art of War_

--

**Chapter 11, Attraction and Repulsion**

--

_Suarez Residence, Monday, 7:45 AM_

--

Frida glanced at her watch again, and started whining when she realized how late in the morning it was getting. She clenched her toes and stood on the tips of her boots before dropping back down her heels.

"Manny… where are you?"

Frida Suarez was not alone in terms of running behind today. Her father, Emiliano, was vexed by the failure of his alarm clock this morning; seems a brief power outage in the night made it so his electronic clock no longer functioned. He may have to just take Frida's primitive, gear based model and pretend that he had no idea where hers was. When he was out the door, he noticed his daughter had not yet left for school. He sent her out some fifteen minutes ago.

"Frida? Why are you still here?"

"I'm waiting for Manny, papa," she said frantically, "he's never been this late before, though. Do you think he's alright?"

"Bah, the Rivera boy! Mija, you know that I think he's a bad infl-."

"Yeah yeah, bad influence."

"Well," he replied, not happy with being cut off, "get in the car, I'll give you a ride. He's probably just busy being a deviant."

"Thanks papa."

Frida climbed into the passenger seat of Emiliano's police cruiser, and in moments they were off down the street. Frida sat staring out the window, worried about her friend. The only times he never showed up were those days when he was too sick or injured to go to school, and he always called ahead to tell her about it. He didn't call her, so something must have been really wrong. Wouldn't be a surprise though. The car pulled to a stop as a line of military trucks drove through an intersection. If Emiliano wasn't in such a hurry, he'd pull them over. Just because you're the military doesn't mean you can run a red light. But he had neither the time nor the patience. Seeing the soldiers, Frida jumped on the opportunity.

"Papa… why is the city under martial law?"

"It's for your own good, Frida."

"But, that doesn't answer my question. What really happened? I mean, this isn't the first time super heroes died."

"No… it's not," he answered solemnly. "But things are different now. The way the villains have been working together, and the way that the Golden Eagle Twins were attacked… it suggests that something has changed in the underworld. Gang leaders have been turning up dead. So have police officers."

Frida looked at him, staring at his profile as he only looked forward. He didn't want her to see his lip quivering. Things were bad and getting worse, and first and foremost on his list of priorities was to keep the peace. Letting Frida learn about his unease would not result in peace. Once he had stifled the feeling of dread, Emiliano turned to his daughter.

"It's not permanent, mija. The city will be kept under close watch until the military and police can regain control of our home. All you have to do is keep to the curfew, and stay in groups. Listen to everyone with a uniform, and you'll be fine. Can you do that for me?"

Frida nodded, eyes shimmering with mild fear. She tried her best not to cry now, to be strong like her father was. It was hard, though, because she'd never really had to be strong on purpose. She always had Manny or her father to do that. The military trucks finished passing, and Emiliano drove forward. After a ten minute ride, Frida opened the door and was about to step out. She stopped, though, so she could hug her father, grateful for his calming words in these unsettling times.

"Bye, papa."

"Have a good day at school, Frida."

The walk to the door was sad for her, not having Manny with her to make it more exciting. She was inside before she could see a sight that would later completely inflame her: Manny Rivera walking through the awestruck crowd holding the hand of her long time nemesis, Zoe Aves. This would promise to be an exciting day. Back inside, Frida had stopped by a drinking fountain, seeking to refresh herself before the long day of punishment for a crime that she allegedly committed. All figuratively, of course. When she stood, she brushed her hair with her hand idly, at first not noticing Lupita approach. Turning, Frida almost walked into the Mohawk bearing girl.

"Whoa, Lupita. What's up?"

"Hey Frid… wow, uh, I'm not sure how to tell you this."

"Tell me what?"

"Oh, so you don't actually know then? Great, that makes this harder…"

If one were standing across the hall, one would see this even unfolding something like this: at first, Frida stood smiling, wondering what this secret was. Her face turned to a frown, one of complete disbelief. After a moment of that, Frida burst out laughing, letting denial take its course. But when Lupita pressed the subject further, Frida's emotions shifted once more. She lashed out at her honest friend, demanding her to shut up, to stop telling lies. Lupita sighed in sad defeat as Frida stormed off towards her class, cheeks burning with rage. How dare she say such things? Manny was her best friend, he knew how she felt about Zoe Aves. That he would much less like her, let alone kiss her, was just absurd. But Frida's fury died in a single second. Her blood froze, her breath stopped, and her books fell to the floor. As the color left Frida Suarez's face, she watched in disbelief as Manny leaned in close and kissed Zoe gently on the lips. It was in that one way, that special way that all girls want to be kissed. That way Frida herself wanted to be kissed. Tears wanted to break free of their prison and streak down her face, but Frida, not wanting to look weak, willed them back into hiding. She couldn't deal with this right now… she had a class to get to. That's right… she'll, she'll just have to take care of this later. There wasn't any time. Manny, however, felt that there was plenty of time. He kissed Zoe again and again, each time closing the gap faster. She started to giggle as his lips touched her cheek, her jaw, and inevitably her neck.

"Manny, please! I think-," she was interrupted by another giggle, triggered by his tickling her neck. "I think we need to get to class. We can continue at lunch." She ran a finger across his face seductively, smiling a temptress's smile.

"Of course, of course… adios, mi amor." He bowed with a wide smile and started off towards the first of his classes.

"Adios cariño."

Zoe waved as he walked off, smiling out of the pure bliss that perforated her heart. When Manny was gone, a voice emerged from the void. She turned to see its source: Diego. What he said chilled her.

"Enjoying your spoils?"

"What are talking about, spoils?"

"Zoe, please. I know exactly what you did. You went to him."

Zoe stood silent, trying not to reveal any emotion, not wanting to let him know what she was thinking. How did he figure it out, though? This was a great curiosity.

"You have no idea what you got yourself into! He'll own you!"

"Shut up, Diego. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"For once in your life, will you listen to someone else?!" The hall, though emptying quickly, stopped to look at the two as they squabbled. Diego looked around, shook his head, and sighed. "No, I suppose you won't. You Aves women are too stubborn!"

Before Zoe could retort, Diego was off, walking out the front door. He wouldn't show up in his classes today. He had more important things to take care of.

--

_Miracle City Police Station, Chief Suarez's Office, 8:30 AM_

--

Emiliano was busy at work, going over each and every report about the rise in criminal activity over the past month. Following Sartana's defeat at the beginning of the month, crime had been at an all time low. But in the past week alone, illegal activity had quadrupled. Each report that Chief Suarez read over filled him more and more with disgust. How could things have gotten so bad so quickly without anybody noticing anything? Have they been too complacent? Did they expect the good times to last? He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Hey jefe, something just came in for you."

The officer came in and set an envelope on the desk. Looking it over, Chief Suarez found no information whatsoever. He opened it cautiously, expecting just about anything in these horrifying times. He pulled out a piece of paper and a CD case containing an unmarked disk. Opening the folded sheet, he read the words out loud.

"View by yourself."

Chief Suarez nodded to the officer who had also grown suspicious of the eerie package. Following his boss's orders, he stepped out of the office.

"If you need anything, I'll be right outside the door, jefe."

Popping the disk into the drive, Chief Suarez clicked the icon and loaded its contents. What he found was a wealth of previously confidential information gathered on what appeared to be an individual named M. But as Emiliano waded through the documents, it started becoming clearer to him. He was startled when his phone rang, jumping a bit after loosing his focus. He picked up the receiver carefully and held it to his ear.

"Suarez."

"_Hello, Chief Suarez."_

"Who is this?"

"_Just a concerned citizen. You need not worry about my identity."_

"… Dr. Chipotle Jr.?"

"_Oh come on!"_

Emiliano pulled the phone away from his ear as Diego began shouting wildly, upset by the loss of his anonymity. Hearing the name of a villain, the officer outside the door barged in a second time, hand on his gun. Chief Suarez waved him down, and the officer closed the door again.

"Fine, I don't know who you are."

"_Forget it, the moment is ruined…"_

"What do you want?"

"_The same thing you want… an end to this nonsense. The disk I sent contains information about a man named M. At least, that's what he wants you to call him. He has traveled the world, destabilizing countries already suffering from the influence of their powerful criminal syndicates."_

"I see," Suarez responded, "in each of these countries you highlighted, the organized crime rates have sky rocketed. Just like-."

"_Just like in Miracle City."_

"… How do you know these things?"

"_I've met him… I know he's here."_

"Where is he?"

"_I can't tell you that yet. I only know where he first met with the villains of Miracle City. He's moved to another location since then."_

"Can you find out where that is?"

"_It will be hard with the military being everywhere… but I am a genius. I'll have that information soon as well."_

"There's one thing I don't understand. How can one man cause so much havoc?"

"_The United States government believes it is one man…"_

"But you think otherwise?"

"_I do… you'll find something that confirms that at the end of the disk. Goodbye, Chief Suarez."_

There was a click, followed by silence. Despite that, Emiliano kept the phone to his ear. After a moment he hung it up, and scrolled down further on the list of documents on the CD. The final document was an FBI file on the subject, and when he opened it he found a short report regarding information taken from a laptop after a raid in Morocco performed by UN authorities. The laptop was mostly destroyed, though a few files were recovered. The most important one? The world belongs to us.

--

_Miracle City High School, the Courtyard, 11:55 AM_

--

Frida Suarez shuffled her way to the end of the lunch line, physically exhausted from bottling up her emotions. She felt broken… she didn't know why, but seeing Manny kissing Zoe was incredibly destructive for her. Why it mattered so much could not be explained fully by something as petty as a vendetta. It was deeper. Frida just didn't know it yet. But things were about to get worse. Far worse.

"Uhh… hey Frida."

She turned to see Manny, who was smiling shyly as though he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have. Frida managed to smile, being a little relieved to see her friend, but sank back down when she saw Zoe was right behind him. Finally she could contain it no longer.

"What the hell is going on?"

"What do you mean?" Manny asked this attempting to sound innocent, but that wasn't working here. Frida taught him that trick, so how could he hope to use it on her?

"Zoe Aves."

"Frida," Zoe replied, actually acting civil to her old nemesis, "I know we've had our… differences, but I'd like to change that."

"You see Frida? She wants to fix this. Zoe's been worried all day that you wouldn't accept her. Can't you just be her friend?"

"… Manny, we need to talk. Alone."

Zoe put on an innocent face as Frida dragged Manny off. When they were out of sight, she smiled wickedly, reveling in Frida's final defeat. How very delicious this all was; Diego was wrong about her involvement with M. How could someone who gave her so much be bad?

"Manny, the answer is no. I'm not gonna be Zoe's friend, I'm not even going to pretend that I'm okay with this!"

"Frida, seriously. Zoe's being cool about this. You're my best friend, and I want you to be cool too."

"Manny!" she shouted. "What part of 'I'm not' aren't you getting? I've ALWAYS been Zoe's enemy." Frida turned away from him, crossing her arms in anger. "I'm sorry, but I forbid you from dating Zoe Aves."

"You can't forbid me to do anything!" He shot back, now completely angry himself. "Frida, you're being ridiculous!"

"Oh, I'm being ridiculous? Fine, I guess your BEST FRIEND is just being ridiculous. You know, go! Go kiss Zoe in public! Go be in love with her…"

Manny's anger dissipated now, now that he started to get what she was trying to tell him on some subconscious level. He heard her sniffle a bit, like she was about to cry. "Frida?"

"Shut up! Go away!"

"Frida, I'm not going to-."

"Fine! I'll leave then…"

Manny wanted to stop her, thought that more than anything the right thing to do would be to stop her. But the part that wanted her to walk away won out, to the dismay of both. Once Frida rounded the corner, she leaned against a wall, sliding down as she finally broke down. She pressed her hands to her eyes and sobbed madly, letting out four hours of torment in a single burst of tears. Manny, too proud to change his mind now that he was so far in, sadly turned and walked back to the lunch line.

"What happened, Manny?" Zoe rubbed his arm innocently, trying to comfort him, though she knew deep down what had happened and loved it.

"… Don't worry about it, Zoe."

--

_The Park, 12:45 PM_

--

Frida had moved her sobbing to the park about ten minutes ago, after a period of wandering aimlessly down the streets. She once bumped into a soldier, who turned and shouted something cruel at her. This made her cry even harder, and the soldier's friend punched him in the arm. Now Frida sat on the park bench which Manny and Zoe sat upon just last night, unaware of the events that had occurred there. But she wasn't alone. Catching his breath as he leaned against a tree, Diego watched Frida cry her eyes out. He spotted her walking into the park from about a block away and ran the distance to catch her. But he was not in the best shape, and found it difficult to breathe once he had crossed onto the park property. Diego planned this out as he slowed his heart beat, though: he would calmly approach the bench, pretending to be out on his own business. Then he would "find" Frida sitting there, and console her. Perfect. But something happened that Diego did not expect.

"Ciao, bella."

Enter Sergio. Standing tall and proud, it seemed that the past five years had been much more kind to Sergio than Diego, and in some ways even Manny. Frida only looked at him out of the corner of her eye, not really recognizing him. That makes sense, though, as she never really paid any attention to him before.

"Why Frida… it's been'a so long."

"Do I know you?"

"I'm Sergio. You do not'a recognize me?"

"Sorry, no…"

"That's not a problem," he said with a wave of his hand. "Frida… why are you'a so sad?"

Frida, trying her best to quiet her raging heart, let loose another wave of sobs as she recalled her sorrow. Sergio immediately regretted asking that, and supplied her with a handkerchief taken from his back pocket.

"Here, bella."

Frida wiped away her tears and smeared make up, staining the cloth black. Sergio sat down next to her, looking at her weeping profile with sad eyes, waiting for a sign. Once Frida had stopped crying as much as possible, she handed the handkerchief back.

"Thanks Sergio… I, I think I just want to be alone right now."

"Oh… that sounds like a bad idea. You shouldn't be alone when you're'a sad."

There was a brief silence, one in which Frida just stared at the ground, Sergio waited patiently, and Diego watched in total disbelief. This was exactly what his plan was, except with an accent. The mad scientist thought he could do it better, though.

"You should have something hot to drink. Why don't you let me buy you a coffee? It might'a help you."

Frida continued to stare at the ground, eyes filling with water again. When Sergio handed her his handkerchief again, she took it slowly and wiped the newly formed tears from her eyes. She nodded quietly and stood with him, walking past Diego and out of the park. Diego watched them leave, eyes burning with anger, hand crushing the bark of the tree.

"Swine…"

--

_Unknown Location, 1:00 PM_

--

Nikolai leaned back in his chair, at least enjoying this part of being Maxim. He didn't have to do foot work so long as his friend was in Cairo. But there were those times he had to make decisions regarding the running of the organization. Dr. Chipotle Sr. was almost certain that something was up when Nikolai confirmed an order in Russian. But, being a smooth operator, Nikolai was able to misdirect the oafish scientist. He enjoyed this deception game. He didn't enjoy that the computer next to him lit up so it could forward a message. Leaning forward, Nikolai took in the message, reading it once or twice to compensate for a general lack of skills in reading English. He got the gist of it, though, and dialed Maxim's number.

"_Nikolai… I hope this is important, I'm in front of the assembly."_

"I think it is… your computer just got a message from the Pentagon."

"_Well, that's interesting. What does it say?"_

"The M files were accessed by someone outside of the government."

"_Does it say where the hacker is?"_

"No… just that they weren't based in America."

"_Well then… we'll assume that someone in Miracle City is digging too deep. Call Older, and see if you can't find out who's going behind my back."_

"Da."

Nikolai flipped his phone shut and leaned forward, staring at the message for a while longer. He hated computers almost as much as being in charge.

--

_Rivera Estate, 3:40 PM_

--

Manny had spent a short time showing Zoe around the veritable mansion perched atop Casa del Macho, and it ended in his room. He rested on his bed, and Zoe rested on him. Her head sat atop his chest, rising and falling with his slow breath. She lifted up over him and looked down, seeing a frown on his face.

"What's wrong, cariño?"

"I… I really hurt Frida's feelings today."

"Oh, Manny…"

She leaned in and kissed him, wanting to chase away thoughts of Frida Suarez at all costs. A thought occurred to her.

"Would it make you feel better if I… helped myself to a Churro?"

"What? How's that gonna help?" He tilted his head up, to see Zoe hovering over him, wearing her trademark seductive smile. She ran her finger over his thigh in small circles, causing him to blush. "… Oh."


	12. Chapter 12

A couple things:

1) I don't know for certain that Zoe's mother is really named Carmelita. I'm simply taking this information from the El Tigre Wiki, which, like many Wikis, has the disadvantage of being altered by anybody. But I like to think that the information is correct.

2) "_Therefore one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful. Seizing the enemy without fighting is the most skillful." – Sun Tzu, the Art of War_

**--**

**Chapter 12, Empire's Rise**

--

_Rivera Estate, Monday, 3:54 PM_

--

Zoe had left Manny sighing in his room, belt hanging off the end of his bed. The look in his eyes was one of mixed relaxation and amazement. Satisfied that he wouldn't think at all about Frida for at least another half-hour, Zoe Aves thought it best to take a tour of the place on her own terms. In other words, case the place. As she touched what appeared to be a monkey made of solid gold and rare stones, her wrist communicator came alive with blaring light and heart-stopping sound. She rushed into the bathroom before answering it.

"_Mija! It's almost four. Where are you?"_

"I'm, uh," she looked around the room, searching for something, anything. "I'm in a bathroom."

"…_What? Then why did you answer? What's wrong with you?"_

"I said I was IN a bathroom, not using one. Relax." After saying that, Zoe slapped her mouth shut. Her mother didn't miss a beat.

"_If you're not using the bathroom, why are you in it?"_

"Never mind that; why are you calling me?"

"_M has requested you at the base. He said that he has a mission for you."_

"Huh," she said, rubbing her free hand against her face, "of course he does."

"_Mija, where are you? Don't make me triangulate your position."_

"I'm at a friend's house." Which wasn't a complete lie; but Zoe thought it best not to tell her mother about Manny yet. She knew that no one in her family would take this the right way. In the background, Zoe heard her grandmother chime in.

"_Is she at that boy's house?"_

Zoe slapped her face a second time. _"A boy?! Zoe, what are you doing at a boy's house?!"_

"Eh, nothing?"

"_Young lady, you are coming home this instant! End of discussion!"_

The communication ended with that. Leaning back against the wall, Zoe had the time to look herself in the mirror. At first she liked what she saw: pretty, dark, and winning. But the more she stared, the more she began to get sick. Thinking about what M could want… maybe the man was poison. He made her skin crawl at the mention of his name, and ever since she made this deal she would feel a little nauseous in his presence. Something about him touching her with his cold flesh… ick. Zoe splashed water on her face in an attempt to chase those feelings away. It worked, to a degree. But she needed to get home. Opening the door, Zoe nearly jumped out of her skin when she stepped into Grandpapi.

"Eh? Who are you?"

"What?" She stared at him a moment, still a little startled. Grandpapi stared at her long and hard.

"Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Uh, no," she looked down the hall to see if Manny would help her out of this, but he wasn't there, so he really couldn't. Instead she'd have to use her cunning. "But, I believe we have spoken on the phone."

It clicked in Grandpapi's head about then, and he smiled wide. "You must be that Zoe girl! Si, welcome to our home!"

"Thank you. You must be Manny's Grandpapi. I'm glad to finally meet you."

Manny decided to show up at this point, still readjusting his belt. He took a place next to Zoe and wrapped his hand around her waist. "Hey Grandpapi. I see you've met Zoe." Zoe smiled and leaned in, wrapping her arms around his neck. But Grandpapi took Manny by the shoulder, separating the two for a brief moment.

"Way to go Manny," he whispered, "you have good taste. And I see my advice worked."

"Yeah it did! You're a genius!"

"Well, I try." Grandpapi stood tall and proud, wrists on his waist. "So, will she be staying for dinner?"

"Actually," Zoe said, walking slowly to the door, "I have to get home. My mother wants me back. We have to, uh, meet some friends."

"Alright," Manny replied, approaching Zoe innocently. But when he was close enough, he took her by the arms and dragged her into a kiss, letting his hand wander down her back. He broke the kiss to open the door. "Give me a call later?"

"Definitely. Bye Grandpapi," she waved to the old man, smiling wide with both his success and his grandson's in mind. "Bye Manny." She walked out running a finger under his chin. He watched her walk down the hall, smirking like those guys on the movies. Now he got why they smirked like that all the time; it made perfect sense.

--

_Suarez Residence, 3:50 PM_

--

Sergio enjoyed taking Frida out for a nice coffee, even if it was a total sob fest. Once they had arrived at the café, she broke down again, this time not bottling up anything at all. It was hard for him to tell, but Sergio caught something along the lines of "Manny's doing Zoe" or something similar. Now, while that is totally preposterous, one cannot hold that against Frida, who suffered a massive emotional blow. It is very easy to let your mind take things too far when you are imagining a worst case scenario. True, things were bad, but they haven't been dating long enough for that level of physical intimacy. Sergio caught some other things too, something about growing old and alone like a bag woman, and wanting to just go throw stuff off a bridge. All in all, Sergio played the important role of shoulder to cry on. And despite how upset Frida was, she thought more of Sergio for that. So, after two hours of emotional turmoil, the two departed the café and walked slowly to Frida's house. The going was slow because Frida knew she'd be in trouble: you can't ditch every class after lunch when you're already on the school's most wanted list. But they did eventually arrive there. When she saw her father's police cruiser parked crooked on the front drive, Frida sighed in despair.

"Hey, you'a gonna be okay."

"I don't think so, Sergio…"

"That wasn't a question, bella."

"Yeah… okay." She turned and started shuffling up toward the front gate, slowly reaching out to open it.

"Frida, wait," Sergio said, reaching into his pocket and taking out a card. "Here. This is'a my office's work number."

"… You work in an office."

"I work in the big robotics research thing down'a town. Anyway, if you need'a anything, just give'a me a call."

"Thanks, Sergio." And despite her bruised feelings, Frida smiled. She wasn't sure why she did; maybe it was just that Sergio could be pleasant even though she wasn't; something complex and emotional.

"It is no problem. Arrivederci, bella."

Frida turned and looked down at the card, smiling as she read the number. Something struck her, though, and she looked at Sergio again. "Hey, Sergio. What's 'bella' mean?"

Sergio just stared a moment, then smiled. "It means 'beautiful.'"

He left her with that in mind. Frida tried not to, but she blushed a bit. No one called her beautiful so many times in one day before. But it wasn't long before she sank back down into her darkness, and she returned to walking to her house's door. It seemed like the longest march she'd ever taken until she reached her goal; stretching her arm to grasp the door knob, Frida was less than surprised to see the door open from the inside. She looked up through her red eyes and stared at her father, face stained by tears and mascara. He wore a harsh expression, but it melted away almost immediately.

"Mija?"

She tried to speak. She even mouthed the word Papa. But nothing came out, and when she found herself unable to speak, Frida closed her eyes and started to whine, holding in another fit of hysterical crying. Emiliano quickly embraced her, quietly instructing her to just let it all out. If only he realized how many tears were left to shed. Sergio, meanwhile, continued his walk back to wherever the hell he was going, smiling with overwhelming confidence. Oh, she'd call. He told himself this over and over. He wasn't the same small boy from middle school. He was tall, strong, and as suave as he once fancied himself. But this did not fool one person, who had waited for this moment for two hours.

"Sergio…"

Sergio stopped dead in his tracks, immediately recognizing that voice and smiling wide with a mixture of smugness and malice. He faced Diego, emerging from the shadows, with a solid expression of invincibility.

"Diego. It's been'a too long."

"By your own choice, my friend."

The poison each boy spat was not lost. Where they were once good friends, these two had drifted apart. Diego, not wanting to lose a part of his past, tried to salvage the friendship they had. Sergio, it seemed, wanted nothing of the days long gone by. Well, almost nothing.

"It's been three years since we last talked, Sergio. And now what I do I see? A puppet for a tyrant."

"Diego… you have no idea what you are'a talking about."

"Black Cuervo said the same thing… and you know what? You're both murderers now."

Sergio's smile disappeared. It was true. In his quest for power, Sergio had both allied himself with M and done his insidious bidding. And up until that day, Sergio had not once contemplated killing a super hero. The repercussions always seemed too dangerous. But when he did bring down the Golden Eagle Twins, Sergio had a reaction far different than Zoe's. Rather than let grief and doubt take him, the master machinist felt elevated. If he could kill once, it was most certainly going to be easy for him to do it again.

"Murderer is'a such a strong word."

"Why shouldn't it be?" Diego shot back, clenching his fist tight. He honestly thought that Sergio was something of a threat now, and that he should be on guard.

"Hm, interesting point. But I don't'a have time to play with you." Sergio turned and started walking again, leaving his friend behind yet again. He did stop to say one last thing. "Oh, and I saw you stalking me and'a Frida. Do you honestly think that she'a wants to have a boy when she can'a have a man?"

Diego had to restrain his cybernetic hand when Sergio said that to him. Somehow he just believed that his friend had not fallen so far, that he didn't deserve to get a laser to the face. Instead of killing him for such offensive banter, Diego let him go. But this would not be the end.

"I will have my revenge… Senor Siniestro."

--

_Aves Residence, 4:37 PM_

--

Zoe ran out of the elevator the second the door had opened. Had she realized that her walk home would take her through three military check points, she wouldn't have taken that route. What should have been an easy walk became a nightmare of evading detection. She arrived at her door, thirsty, tired and trying her damnedest to get a taste out of her mouth. Reaching out to grab the knob, she stepped back in shock when the door opened. There stood her mother.

"Welcome home, mija. It only took you," Carmelita checked her watch, "forty-five minutes. Any special reason for that?"

"The military is all over the place. I couldn't-."

"Oh, the military. Hmm, what an inconvenience. Have you learned nothing over the past eighteen years?"

"Carmelita, behave yourself. You didn't always follow orders either." Grandmami Aves slowly approached the door, hobbling forward on her cane. Her daughter sighed and walked away. Grandmami turned her attention to Zoe.

"Did you have a good time, mija?"

"… Yes?" Zoe was cautious when she walked inside the apartment. How fortunate that no one made the link between the Aves women and the Flock of Fury. The two groups didn't exactly live on the opposite sides of Miracle City.

"… As much as he had?"

Zoe blushed after her grandmother said that. Grandmami Aves just laughed as she hobbled away. When time passed, Zoe regained her composure and stepped into the kitchen. She poured a tall glass of iced tea and started drinking it, skipping adding the sugar that she normally couldn't do without. Her thirst was extreme, and the taste was not something that would fade with sugar. After setting the glass down, Zoe turned to look at her mother, who stood on the other side of the kitchen, watching for a moment to speak.

"Grandmami's saying dirty things again…"

"It's the Rivera boy, isn't it?"

Zoe stood silent, but in turning away she said everything that needed saying. Carmelita's sigh made Zoe feel relieved, though. Previous instances of entertaining this crush, or love, or whatever it was, all ended in Zoe being scolded. When she felt her mother wrap her arms around her body, the young girl leaned into the hug, letting her anxiety melt off.

"Mija… if you must, you must."

"What?" Zoe asked, turning to look her mother in the eye.

"I've told you again and again that the Rivera men are nothing but trouble. But I won't stand in your way if… if you really want to try. Who knows, you may be the one to break our losing streak."

Zoe's smile was in conflict with her eyes, which welled up with tears almost immediately. She hugged her mother again, burying her face in Carmelita's shirt. But the good feelings didn't last long. Zoe had cut her visit with Manny short for a reason, after all.

"Zoe… we have to talk business now," she said, taking her daughter by the chin, "M wants you to attack the central command center of the military blockade. Alone."

"What…? But… what?"

"I know, Zoe." Carmelita knelt so she could better look Zoe in the eye. "Believe me, mija, I tried to convince him to let me go. But for some reason he requested you do it."

Zoe bit her lip, not wanting to believe her rotten luck. But maybe it wasn't luck. Maybe it was just the pendulum coming back to her. She didn't want to accept that just yet. But she didn't really want to accept this mission. She just wanted to spend her time with Manny, to not have to pay the devil his due.

"Zoe… I… I can still do it. We can just say that you are too ill, or that… we can think of something."

"No, mama, I can do it. I must. For myself and my family, I will do this thing." Zoe hugged her mother again, grateful for this reprieve. It was good to know that despite all that was said before, her mother would bless her relationship with Manny Rivera. "But before I do, I have to make a call."

Zoe walked to the phone and stopped, closing her eyes in a meditative way. Carmelita left the room to give her daughter the privacy she desired. There was only one person she would be calling, but just the same it was between her and M. Dialing in the number that M had supplied, Zoe waited patiently for an answer.

"_Ahem… yes?"_

"M, it's Cuervo. I'm in."

"_Good. Here's what you have to do…"_

--

_Military Headquarters, 9:05 PM_

--

General Miguel Duhamel Fitzgerald. Four stars, several awards for honor on the field, off the field, and for countless advancements in the strategy of subduing hostile crowds. It was General Fitzgerald that was called upon to deal with Miracle City, just as it was General Fitzgerald who was summoned to deal with the 1988 Bread Riots. The smooth resolution of the Bread Riots is attributed solely to the advanced tactics Fitzgerald applied. And the good general made sure to repeat that as often as possible. As General Fitzgerald leaned back in his chair in the makeshift military command center, previously a police station, he couldn't help but think how easy putting Miracle City in its place would be. After all, they had the support of the people, which is a major contributing factor to the success of any military operation. But something happened he did not expect: outside there was the sound of shouting, then a powerful explosion. Quickly getting out of his chair, the general asked a question of his lieutenant, who had barged in to check on his general's status.

"Gutierre! What's going on?"

"We're under attack, jefe! It's one of the villains, Black Cuervo!"

"Ah, so they've finally decided to move. Lieutenant, order the men to capture her! Rubber bullets! We need her for questioning!"

"Yes sir!"

Lieutenant Gutierre exited the room as the general went to the window. Outside, Black Cuervo flew in and out of range, peppering his troops with short bursts from her arm-mounted laser. He could hear her cackling from this distance; she was rather enjoying making the army look like a bunch of fools. He smirked, though, knowing his men all too well. They'd get the upper hand.

"General!"

Fitzgerald turned around to see his lieutenant again. What on earth was he still doing here?

"Gutierre… didn't I tell you to-?"

"About how old would you say you are, general? Forty, forty-five? It's hard to tell in this light."

"… Gutierre?"

Cuervo laughed loud and wickedly when she dropped another bomb, blowing apart the armored vehicle it struck. Murder was hard for her, but reckless mayhem? Nah, easy as breathing. She swooped in again for another attack sweep, but was surprised to find the troops moving into an organized pattern. They opened fire on Cuervo when she was close enough, and she was struck a couple times. But it only hurt enough for her to verbalize it. Rubber bullets… how absurd. She flew up high again and started her final sweep, certain she had bought enough time. Cuervo dove in hard and fired down into the crowd, hitting nobody, just causing a commotion. But when she got closer, the real surprise was revealed: she dropped a pair of flash bombs and a cluster of smoke bombs down on the unsuspecting soldiers. Though they moved away from the impact area, several of them were temporarily blinded, and the clouds of thick purple smoke mixed well with that generated by the burning fuel. Cackling wildly, Black Cuervo flew high overhead and disappeared between several buildings. Inside the command center, where the general's aids and top men waited, there rang out four gun shots and the sound of a shattering window. Gutierre was the first to rush in, finding General Fitzgerald resting against a wall with his gun, pressing it against a gun shot wound on his left arm. The window opposite him was shattered, indicating someone was on the other side.

"General Fitzgerald," Gutierre said, helping him up off the floor, "what happened?"

"An assassin… sweep the building! I want him found!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Hold on, general. We'll find you a medic."

Atop one of the buildings, Black Cuervo sat with a hand against her ear. She smiled wide and proud when she heard Lieutenant Gutierre's words. She stood, looking down at the dumpster under the window from which the ex-general was thrown. It would be some time before anyone realized that there was a body in that garbage… and by then it would be at the dump. How unfortunate. Laughing again, Cuervo ran to the other side of the building and jetted off into the night.

--

_Miracle City Airport, Tuesday, 4:00 AM_

--

Maxim stood on the curb of the airport driveway wearing his now somewhat dirty travel clothes and holding a metal briefcase, waiting for a cab to flag down. After a few minutes, a taxi emerged from the night and stopped. The American stepped into the vehicle and sighed tiredly. He hated those return flights even more.

"Welcome to Miracle City, amigo."

"Thank you… warehouse district please."

"Yes sir."

The lights of the sleeping city were no less bright, though a little less numerous when you weren't in the city center. Maxim kept the briefcase close to him, and with good reason. The contents of this metal box were worth more than most human beings can imagine. Enough to finish a war. When Maxim looked out the window again after checking on the case, he noticed that the cab was no longer on the most direct route to the warehouse district. But that didn't really matter… so what if the man just wanted a few extra dollars? Maxim could afford anything at this point. But when the cab pulled down a dark street, darker than most others, something became apparent.

"I got bad news for you, amigo."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"This is the part where you give us all your money."

The cab pulled to a stop, and out of the shadow emerged a tall, muscular man. He pulled a knife and yanked the cab door open, reaching in to drag the gringo out into the night. Too easy. The driver leaned back and waited for his accomplice to finish the dirty part, flashing a grin with the teeth that he had. He was shocked by a sickening popping sound behind him, followed by a groan born of agony and a sputter like when a child blows bubble in their drink. The driver turned to see his partner press his face against the window, chin crushed into his mouth, bleeding out faster and faster as he slid down the glass. The driver panicked now, seeing this awful sight, and tried to claw his way to the glove compartment to get his gun. But out of the darkness came Maxim's hand, gripping the driver by the back of the neck, pinching his bones with his thumb and hand joints. The driver was frozen there both out of fear and pain, as Maxim gripped him with such force that it seemed impossible for the bones not to break.

"Now I'm afraid I'm the one with bad news, amigo."

There was a snap in the night, a sudden flare of unbelievable pain. But as the driver's head slumped back onto the seat, he felt a sense of emptiness coupled with one of calm. He felt good despite the fact that he was fading away from this world. His suffering subsided with his breath, and all was consumed in night. Maxim sighed and climbed out of the taxi, at least glad he didn't have to do math with the fare. He pulled the driver from his resting place and took control of the vehicle, driving off into the city.


	13. Chapter 13

I wasn't exactly sure how to make the transition between Empire's Rise and the inevitable ending of my story. To be completely honest, I loved writing chapter 12 almost as much as reading it. I feel I'll have difficulty topping that. Here's to bridging the gap.

--

"_The problem is… he knows us better than we know ourselves…" _

_- Chief Inspector Eric Finch, V for Vendetta_

--

**Chapter 13, The Beginning of the End**

--

_Chipotle's Secret Lab, Tuesday, 5:30 AM_

--

Deep in the dark of the Chipotle Laboratory, Diego drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally checking his computer screen to see if anything had changed. For hours now he has been pouring over the information gathered from every possible source: the Pentagon, the AFI database, even documents received from M himself. It occurred to him at about one in the morning that he could track the IP address of M's computer through the email. It was very heavily encrypted. He traced the email through accounts the world over, and never did it appear to be traced back to Miracle City. As sleep closed in on Diego again, his computer alerted him of another email, this one from an address a little less defended. Snapping awake as the ding filled the air, he returned to work and clicked on the untitled message.

_My son. We have done it! Soon Miracle City will be ours, and El Tigre will be destroyed! I have snap shots! - Dr. Chipotle Sr._

Diego opened the attachment to the email, and saw something both horrible and beautiful. There stood his father in front of a heavily sedated plant monster. It appeared to be a huge cactus-like abomination, legs and arms covered in rigid spines that looked like they could gore a cow. Truly evil.

"Aww, look at how cute it- wait a minute!"

It occurred to him then that this message did not have the same IP address as M's. He started to trace this one instead, and Diego found it to be encrypted as well, but with a military code instead.

"Hah! The military cannot lock me out. … The military?"

Curiosity piqued, Diego set to work on hacking his way into whatever network his father had emailed him from. The encryption was different than the AFI's, a little trickier, but it was broken just the same. With the code deciphered, Diego set about the easy job of finding the location of the computer itself. It took some time to find this out, and when his program did, it loaded a globe and zoomed into a location somewhere out in the desert, far beyond the borders of Miracle City, far outside the military blockade. Though the computer showed no image within the square it used to highlight the location, it did list a short line of text.

"… New Alamo Military Research Facility… hah!"

--

_Suarez Residence, 6:44 AM_

--

Carmela Suarez was a successful judge, mother of three wonderful girls, and certainly a stickler for rules and regulation. So it was only natural that she find it a little concerning and even more annoying that Frida's door remained closed after both her alarm clock went off AND her mother had knocked to make sure she was up. Knocking a second time, Carmela waited a moment then opened the door. Frida's room was dark, and an air of thick sadness filled the space around every object.

"Frida, it's time to get up. You have to get to school."

"…"

"Frida."

"I… I can't…"

"Frida," Carmela whispered, taking a seat next to her daughter's curled up form. She petted her head gently. "You have to get up. You have to function even though it hurts."

"I just want to… sleep for a day."

"I know you do mija. But you have to go out and face the-."

Carmela was cut off by the sound of a sharp breath, and the sound of crying soon followed. Her resolve was cleaved in two by those sounds. Running her hand through Frida's hair, her mother couldn't help but give in. Sometimes it's just too hard.

"Alright, mija, I'll go give the school a call. You just try to rest."

Frida's crying continued even when the door was quietly shut, leaving her to wallow in sadness in peace. Manny couldn't see her like this… she didn't need him thinking she was weak. She could do that for the both of them.

--

_Police Station, Chief Suarez's Office, 6:50 AM_

--

Chief Suarez arrived right on time to work today, as opposed to the hour or so yesterday he spent falling behind. He nodded to his subordinates, who in turn saluted him as he walked by. He reached the front desk of the station and looked down to see it: another envelope, much like the one he saw yesterday. Taking the item without a sound, Emiliano immediately retreated into his office, wondering what was in this one. Surely this time the location of the secret enemy would be revealed, then he and his police force could crack the case open and put an end to all this unrest. Tearing the envelope open, Chief Suarez removed another unmarked disk and a note attached to it. Coded for my protection? What did that mean? Dropping the CD in the drive, he immediately discovered what it meant. The files were blocked with a password prompt. Sighing, Emiliano consented to waiting for the inevitable call that would put this all in perspective. The phone rang, and without even a second's notice, he grabbed it and answered.

"Chief Suarez."

"_Emiliano."_

"What? Carmela?"

"_Yes… it's about Frida."_

"What's wrong with her?" he asked, knowing full well that it was probably the case that Frida was no better than she was yesterday. She was probably worse.

"_She's hurt, Emiliano. I'm letting her stay home today."_

"Alright. I'll try to keep myself in the office in case she calls."

"_Thank you."_

Wishing his wife a good day, Emiliano slowly placed the receiver on the hook and returned his attention to the disk. Knowing Chipotle, it was probably something thematically appropriate. After trying every pepper he could think of, from the obvious chipotle to the generally forgotten datil. It was only after he gave up that the phone rang again, and Chief Suarez answered it with the same degree of haste as before.

"Chief Suarez."

"_You know, I put a password on the disk so people wouldn't try to open the files."_

He turned around and looked out the window, trying to find where Dr. Chipotle was hiding. The best place would be the apartment complex across the street, but which window?

"_You won't find me. Besides, there are more important things to do," _he said with a somber voice. _"The password is chipotlejr."_

"Of course it is…"

"_What? What did you mean by that?"_

"Nothing."

After unlocking the disk, Chief Suarez was met with the map that Dr. Chipotle Jr. had generated after hacking the New Alamo network. At first, he had no idea what he was looking at. A square highlighting part of the vast desert outside Miracle City isn't particularly telling of anything. But something occurred to him then.

"A military base?"

"_That's right. New Alamo was constructed for secret experiments. You won't find much about it on any database, since it does not officially exist."_

"So this M character is located here?" Chief Suarez asked this not out of disbelief, but out of despair. This base was not in his jurisdiction, leaving him no way to bring this to a close himself.

"_Yes. It seems most likely that the military itself will have to take this location."_

"Then why did you bring this information to me?"

"… _I do not trust General Fitzgerald."_

The click on Chipotle's end of the line signaled the end of the call, leaving Chief Suarez with a head full of questions. Why did he not trust the armed forces here in Miracle City? Emiliano had met General Fitzgerald before, and he seemed perfectly reasonable. Hell, he'd have a beer with him any day of the week. It didn't once occur to the chief of police that M had already taken control of the city by corrupting the established martial law. Deciding that there was no other way, Chief Suarez pushed a button on his phone, calling his secretary.

"Maria, can you patch me through to General Fitzgerald? District 120, chief inspector's office."

"_Yes sir."_

--

_Military Command Center, 7:01 AM_

--

Lieutenant Gutierre knocked on the general's door and entered, bearing only a brief bit of news.

"General, Police Chief Suarez would like to speak to you."

"Thank you, Gutierre."

Once the door was closed, Fitzgerald picked up the receiver, staring out the window casually. He remained silent for a moment, making sure he was ready for this, then started to speak. It occurred to him about then that he had to let the call through, so pressed the flickering button.

"General Fitzgerald."

"_Good morning, general. I'm Police Chief Suarez."_

"Yes, my lieutenant told me this. How can I help you Chief Suarez?"

"_Well sir, it's about the location of the ones leading the organized crime ring in Miracle City."_

This piqued his interest. "Oh?"

"_Yes sir. I can't discuss the exact location over the phone, but I can send copies of the information with a courier."_

"If you know the location, Chief Suarez, why are you passing it on to me?"

"_I'm afraid it is outside the city limits… it is beyond my jurisdiction. But you can end this in my place."_

"I'd like nothing more," Fitzgerald smiled as he continued staring out the window. "And I will do exactly that, my friend."

"_Thank you, general. I'll have the information sent immediately."_

"Adios, Chief Suarez."

Hanging up the phone quietly, Fitzgerald returned his attention to his desk, looking over each intelligence report and deciding how best to sabotage the efforts of the military to quash the villainous revolution. He called Gutierre in to pass on the news of the call.

"Gutierre, a courier will arrive today with sensitive information. Bring it to me as soon as possible."

"Yes sir."

Alone with his thoughts at long last, Nikolai slumped back in his chair, dropping part of his charade. The general's features oozed a bit, and his tan skin became gray as the changeling relaxed. It had been hours since he had any rest, and the gunshot wound he inflicted on himself wasn't healing properly due to the nature of his shape shifting cells. Being someone else was a real pain in the ass. Nikolai retook the general's features when he felt a vibration in his pocket, but calmed down when he took the cell phone out of his pocket. He answered it very quietly.

"Da."

"_Nikolai, I'm at the warehouse. How's the coup going?"_

"Very well," Nikolai replied, smiling wickedly as he did.

"_Oh good. And what of our hacker?"_

"It seems that they have learned about New Alamo. Sadly, they went to the police, who can't do anything about it. They will be bringing me the information today, and it will disappear."

"_Excellent… hmm, or maybe we can do something better."_

"What do you have in mind?"

"_I think, dear Nikolai, that it's time to test his loyalties."_

--

_Miracle City High School, Courtyard, 11:59 AM_

--

After retrieving their lunch, Manny and Zoe waded through the sea of kids to find a table. Zoe led them to the table she and Diego usually sat at, sadly as vacant as the table Manny and Frida used to share. It was about this time that Manny noticed his friend was nowhere amongst the crowd. And really there was no way you could miss her; that hair of hers was just a dead give away. Manny saw Lupita at a nearby table and caught her attention.

"Hey Lupita. Have you seen Frida today?"

He frowned when he was met with a frown and a cold shoulder, which was repeated by everyone else at Lupita's table. Manny took this as his cue to leave, and retreated to his table with Zoe. He sat his tray down and slowly lowered himself onto the bench, propping his head up with his arms firmly planted on the table. Zoe moved close and leaned into him, trying to bring him comfort. At heart she needed it too.

"What's wrong cariño?"

"I guess I'm… still guilty about hurting Frida."

"Of course you are," she said as she hugged him, "it's only been a day. She just needs time to heal, and so do you."

Manny sighed and wrapped his arm around Zoe, holding her close. "I guess you're right. Still, I should do something."

Zoe ran her hands up and down his side as she leaned into him, kissing his cheek. This brought a smile to his face, and he turned to return the kiss. But before their lips met, an explosion disrupted the normal pace of the school day. Kids all over the courtyard started to panic, seeing the smoke rising from the school itself. It wasn't a horribly big plume, but it got Manny's attention almost as much as the sight of Senor Siniestro flying past over head. Jumping to his feet, he spun his belt buckle and transformed, scattering the swarming students with a mighty roar. Zoe watched him chase after Siniestro with startling speed, and wasn't sure if she should swoon or scowl. It was difficult for El Tigre to chase his enemy down, as flying over the buildings had a distinct advantage over running across them. But Senor Siniestro, before he could get much farther than a mile away from the high school, felt something strike his leg hard, and was met with the sudden addition of El Tigre's weight. Rather than waste fuel, Siniestro flew lower and lower until he landed. Some twenty feet away, El Tigre landed with a smirk, drawing his claw back into his arm.

"I knew you'd wanna' fight again."

"Oh, did you now?" Siniestro barked back, "Well then, I guess you'll be ready for this!"

Siniestro's left hand withdrew into the mechanical arm, and in its place came the snout of a long gun, similar in design to the one which destroyed the Golden Eagle Zeppelin, though more compact. He aimed the weapon at El Tigre with such precision that it seemed impossible for him to miss and fired, sending a hot shell towards his nemesis. Tigre only narrowly managed to avoid being splattered then and there, jumping to the side instinctively as the weapon fired. He could have sworn he saw the bullet zip by, missing by just inches. When Tigre landed, he turned to see whatever had exploded as a result of being struck by the high caliber round. The round penetrated three cars and the side of a building, bursting after it hit the second car and splashing shrapnel all over the building with a powerful fireball as its core.

"Quick as ever, you varmint. But I still got a trick or two up my sleeves."

The long barrel was replaced with his hand once more, while Siniestro's right hand was swapped out with his preferred weapon, the Gatling gun. It rotated wildly as he pour rounds into the air, trying to rip El Tigre's flesh away and leave his bones exposed. Tigre, trying to fight through heavy fire, retreated behind a nearby stoop. The bullets cracked the wall and whizzed over his head, but Tigre was neither injured nor afraid of being so. Once the firing stopped, he remained crouching behind the stoop, waiting for the right sound. The click of a reload hit his ears, and in seconds he was up in the air, rushing towards Senor Siniestro. El Tigre was a little caught off guard when he plowed into a large shield protecting Siniestro's face, attached conveniently to his arm. What his left arm lacked in weaponry, it seemed he made up for it with defensive measures. Dropping to the ground, Tigre looked up at the metal man with curiosity and frustration.

"You always have time to upgrade yourself," he said before smiling slyly, "I guess that means you don't have much else on your plate."

"What are you talking about?" As Siniestro pivoted to aim his gun at his foe, Tigre jumped forward and latched onto the shield. He shook his arm violently in an attempt to dislodge the pest.

"Well, with all the time you spend on robots, it's pretty clear you don't have a girlfriend." Siniestro's face became twisted with fury, red with violent hate bubbling over from the depths of his body. "Have you ever even had a date with a lady?"

"Shut up!"

In a last ditch effort to scrape El Tigre off, Siniestro fired his jets and rushed forward into a building. He didn't have time to curse his luck when Tigre climbed up the shield and nimbly jumped over the villain as he flew towards the wall, crashing into the bricks and cracking the shield's supports. Parts of his damaged arm fell to the ground as Senor Siniestro turned to attack again, completely enraged and still armed with a full clip of ammunition. But something changed the pace of the battle entirely: four large, green trucks pulled in on both ends of the street. Out of each truck came a squad of soldiers, armed to the teeth, weapons trained on the men fighting in the street. There was a moment of silence, where no matter how hard one tried they could not move, not make a sound. It was broken when Siniestro turned and fired at the nearest soldiers on his right, taking to the air immediately as he did so. El Tigre, not about to let a villain escape so easily, ran forward, but stopped and ducked when he heard gun fire. The soldiers fired their machine guns as Siniestro ascended higher and higher, though they all knew they'd do nothing at this point. After he escaped, a soldier approached Tigre as he stood.

"Don't move! You are being placed under arrest and will be taken to the command center for questioning."

"What?! Are you out of your mind?"

The soldier came close and held the gun level with El Tigre's head. "Don't resist arrest!"

Not wanting to have to deal with the soldiers, El Tigre sighed and withdrew his claws, letting the advancing soldiers cuff him and take him to one of the trucks. Inside the vehicle, he was forced to watch the city pass by him from the back of the truck, which was an odd sensation for him. It felt like he was falling out of the vehicle, and once or twice he almost tipped over. After a time, the vehicle slowed and turned into a gated parking lot, and Tigre watched soldiers pull the gate shut after the truck entered the grounds. Must be there. The truck came to a stop and the soldiers exited, bringing Tigre with them. He recognized the place immediately as a police station, then remembered how the news said something about the military using one as its headquarters. He found it strange that the Mexican militia didn't have an established base in a population center as large as Miracle City. The inside of the building was filled with busy people checking computers, reading printed documents, and going over and over maps. The "tour ended in one of the cells of the station, and for what seemed like an eternity, Tigre sat stock still in his cage, still cuffed up. Confusion was soon being displaced with anger, and when he had finally had enough, he heard the doors open again, with one man apologizing to another as they walked quickly into the room.

"General, I'm sorry, but no one informed me of his capture until-."

"Spare me, lieutenant!"

The two soldiers stopped in front of El Tigre's cell, and he and the general exchanged glares for a time. Finally, the general broke the tension and laughed.

"Open the cell."

"Y-yes sir."

Gutierre fumbled with the keys a moment and pushed one into the hole, discovering it was the incorrect key. He tried again and again, finding that each one was insufficient. Finally, tired of being trapped in his cell for no reason, Tigre pushed the lieutenant back and extended one claw, inserting it into the key hole and skillfully picking the lock. The cell door slid open, and El Tigre stepped out, making short work of the handcuffs he only just tolerated being on his wrists.

"El Tigre… I am General Fitzgerald. I apologize for your detainment."

"Yeah, whatever," he replied curtly, staring off to the side to avoid getting too angry. "Your guy said I'd be questioned. So, what do you wanna' know?"

"… Come with me."

The general led young Mr. Rivera out of the holding area and into the offices of the building, taking him inevitably to the office of the chief inspector. After closing the door, General Fitzgerald walked to his chair and sat down. He opened a drawer in the desk and withdrew an envelope containing copies of the documents Chief Suarez had seen hours ago, setting them on the desk. After Fitzgerald gestured towards him, El Tigre closed the gap and picked the envelope up, taking the papers out and reading over them.

"What the heck is this?"

"That, El Tigre," said the general, leaning forward, "is the location of the Flock of Fury, as well as Senor Siniestro and the Cactus Kid. In fact, we have reason to believe that every villain that has made attacks on Miracle City in the past week has been coordinated from this one location."

The weight of that notion clicked in Tigre's brain; Black Cuervo, who had been on his list ever since the Golden Eagle Twins, was here. He could help the Twins find peace by bringing their murderer to justice. After considering this and much more, El Tigre set the papers down and returned his attention to the general.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you and your family to spear-head an attack. It's an old fortress they have in their possession, and we need a quick strike force to weaken its defenses enough for my troops to get in."

El Tigre had to consider this even more. He wouldn't just be risking himself, but his father and grandfather. But if they succeeded, it would put an end to this madness. Was it worth it? Did the end justify the means? Was he willing to die for Miracle City?"

"Well, Mr. Rivera," the general said, drawing Tigre's attention, "are you willing to help us?"


	14. Chapter 14

You can always tell when a big wave is coming in… the water gets pulled out from under your feet, from within the sand it rolls over, and for a time it seems as if it won't ever come back. But you know that it will, even before you see the monster roaring across the glassy sea.

--

**Chapter 14, The Calm**

--

_Rivera Estate, Tuesday, 3:34 PM_

--

The tension in the Rivera home was incredible, raised to levels so high that breathing seemed difficult by the arrival of the military envoy an hour and a half ago. After explaining everything to his Grandpapi, Manny came to the conclusion that Rodolfo should also be here for this. So for all this time, a dreadful silence filled the dining room where Grandpapi, Manny, and General Fitzgerald awaited. The waiting game came to a close when the door opened, and Rodolfo Rivera joined the assembly. He had received a phone call after his son and father conversed about the military plan, learning of its vast importance to Miracle City's freedom. He set his hat and brief case down and took his place at the table. Fitzgerald raised an eyebrow when he saw Pantera in his barely civilian dress.

"You… wear the mask when you're not White Pantera?"

"Yes. Why?"

The silence that followed was awkward and unwelcome, and Manny took a breath before leaning forward and clearing his throat.

"Dad, you remember what I said on the phone?"

"Yes, mijo. You said that the general wants your grandfather and me to help stop the crime wave."

"Uhh, yeah, sort of…"

Fitzgerald took this as his moment to speak. "Actually, I requested that all three of you help. The plan is to have you lead the charge and soften the lines."

"What?" Rodolfo asked, turning his gaze on Manny. "You didn't say that you were to be involved with this."

"Probably because you'd act a big baby…"

"Papi, this is no time for you to be undermining my authority!" Rodolfo's chair was pushed back against the wall with the force of his standing up. He clearly found no amusement in talk of his son going to war.

"Dad, please, just relax."

After a pause, everyone started to calm back down. Rodolfo took a seat again, leaning forward and propping his elbows on the table. The tension in the room had grown far more formidable after that attempt to clear the air, and now no one wanted to sit and talk. The time for that seemed to pass. But the general would have none of that. He stood this time and removed his hat.

"Mr. Rivera… I understand your concern. But I wouldn't ask this of your family if I wasn't sure it would work. I do not wantonly endanger the people I am charged with helping…"

Manny sat thinking about that statement. And while he should really be measuring the ethical value or logical reasoning behind it, he found it far more entertaining to say "wantonly" over and over inside his head. It was one of those words that the more you said it, the less correct it felt, kind of like animal. While Manny did this, the general continued his speech.

"… but I need your approval, and your help, if I am to save Miracle City from this threat."

Rodolfo nodded as Fitzgerald finished up. The father in him did not like the idea of Manny being a part of this at all, but the hero in him knew that things could not continue this way. But being caught between these two halves of himself, Rodolfo could not come to a conclusion.

"… Papi, what do you think we should do?"

"Well, not to undermine your authority," he began, rolling his eyes in the process, "but I think we should find these criminals, and bust them up. They're taking all my stealings!" Grandpapi turned to look at Fitzgerald, who was eying him carefully. "… That is to say, they are stealing all that I hold dear… si."

"Grandpapi's right," Manny said, standing up, "today Senor Siniestro attacked the school just so he could get my attention. The villains are getting worse. We need to put them to rest."

Faced with such confidence in the general's plan, Rodolfo had little choice but to concede. Nodding slowly and sighing, he gave Fitzgerald the permission he needed to begin the operation against New Alamo. The silence that filled the room was split apart by the ringing of the phone, which caused everyone to jump slightly.

--

_Aves Residence, 3:40 PM_

--

Zoe held the phone to her ear, waiting for someone, anyone to answer. Manny had never come back from the fight, and by the sounds of the explosions things had gotten pretty bad. After waiting impatiently, there was an answer.

"_Hello."_

"Manny. You're alright!"

"_Of course I am… are you okay?"_

"Yes, I was just…" Zoe trailed off as she leaned against the wall, pressing the ridge of her nose as she sought focus. "I was just concerned. You just ran off without a second thought, and then you don't come back."

"_Oh, right… I got arrested."_

"What?!"

"_Don't worry, it was just a misunderstanding," _he answered casually, even sounding a little happy. _"But, uh, I'm gonna' have to call you back."_

"… Can I ask why?"

"_I'm not allowed to say… but things are gonna' get better. I promise."_

"… I believe you. Adios, cariño."

Zoe hung up the receiver and slid down the wall. Once she hit the floor she reflected on the events of the day, and she had to wonder if M was up to something. Well, naturally he was always up to something, but what if there was a target in mind? Was this just random, or did Senor Siniestro have a motive?

--

_Chipotle Lab, 4:10 PM_

--

Diego had been trying to hack the full extent of the New Alamo network for hours now, hitting more firewalls than he thought possible. M must have had some serious money if he could afford to defend his information so well… but Diego was a patient person with a huge super computer and a goal. What's more, his father was good enough to give him a door into the facility. He typed away as he cleaved through layer after layer of security, finally getting something good.

"Let's see now… recently moved research division… lame!"

How could M have so much BORING information lying around? Diego didn't care about mutagenic serums, recent updates in base security, or about some stupid power amplifier project that looked eerily like the schematics for battle armor. He wanted something juicy, something definitive, something that would let him get his city back. A ding generated by a network mail box alerted him to the arrival of new information. He clicked it open, and couldn't decide if he should smile or frown as he read it.

_Military schedule update: attack on facility Friday, 6:00 AM. All personnel on high alert._

Well… that was certainly something. How should Diego take this? He may finally get his wish and see his friends absolved of this villain's grasp, but then his father would be endangered. But this may also be Diego's chance to get back at Sergio for being such a jerk. Well, that's it. Two positives against the one negative, even though it was a very large negative… Diego took no solace in the knowledge of this attack. Just the same, he swiveled in his chair and jumped out after pushing a large red button. He had preparations to… prepare. A monster can't culture itself, now can it?

--

_The Park, 6:05 PM_

--

Manny and Zoe decided to make up for lost time by visiting the park again. Seems Zoe had taken a liking to the glittering city as the sun disappeared into the horizon. While they sat together, the world continued much as it normally did; only now the sound of choppers overhead was a little more common. Part of the general's plan was to step up security and discourage criminal activity before the attack. Manny overheard Grandpapi saying something about "showing him who's boss," which suggested he would commit crimes anyway. But all that side, the park was peaceful and endearing, perfect for relaxing before a difficult mission. Zoe pulled away from Manny to ask him a question.

"Manny… you said on the phone that things would get better."

"Yeah?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Oh…" he replied bashfully, not sure if he should say. The general did tell him this was to be a secret maneuver. "I don't know if I can tell…"

"… You don't trust me?"

"N-no, it's just," he looked at her as she pouted, sincerely displaying disappointment and sadness. Now he really couldn't tell if he was right in keeping it all secret. "Zoe… I need to you believe me when I say it's going to get better."

Now it was her turn to see disappointment in his eyes. Taken slightly aback by the quick reversal, she decided it was best just to let it remain secret. She couldn't really tell why she was digging so hard for the information… old habits perhaps. But she nodded solemnly before taking her place in his arms again. For now it was enough to believe him. Looking out into the world again, Zoe sighed as the sun sank lower and lower, painting the buildings in newer, sometimes more colorful ways.

--

_Rivera Estate, Thursday, 3:00 PM_

--

Manny sat outside his home, feet dipped into the pool in an effort to relax himself. When it came to being a hero, or when the moment seemed right, a villain, Manny wasn't at all anxious. But today, before the beginning of the siege, he found it impossible to not be nervous. As he reflected on this, and on yesterday, Manny Rivera began to dread the events that tomorrow would bring. His father had requested his absence from school for the rest of the week so that he may focus himself; the Rivera's had but two days to prepare themselves for this. Preparation… perhaps that was the source of this anxiety. In all his days of fighting, Manny had never spent two days getting ready to fight a battle he didn't know he could win ahead of time. Not once had Manny entertained the notion of failure. Not against Sartana, or the Flock of Fury, or even El Mal Verde. He blamed this fear on the knowledge that just one week ago, two heroes were taken from this world, and the image of heroic invincibility died with them. That had to be it. Needing to cool himself off, Manny pushed himself into the pool, sinking to the bottom deliberately, letting the water chill each and every part of his skin. He surfaced several seconds later, eyes still closed, meditating on the feeling of the water. But as he thought, his mind took him back to Saturday… the last time he and Frida had been together. It was here in this pool that their friendship enjoyed its last gasps… and it was here in this pool that Manny Rivera finally accepted the weight of that idea. He swam back to the edge of the water and climbed out, wrapping his towel about his shoulders as he stood. He had to wonder what Frida was up to, how she was coping. Manny knew deep down that she was broken… he knew this because part of him was broken too. He stepped back into the house and walked into the kitchen. There Rodolfo was busying himself with preparing a great feast, a pre-battle victory meal. After sensing his son staring, Rodolfo turned and looked at him.

"Mijo… is there something you want to talk about?"

"Yeah, dad… uhm…" Manny looked down as he scratched the back of his head. This was less hard when he was just thinking about it. "It's about dinner tonight."

"What? You want something else?" Rodolfo turned to the growing spread, which had already monopolized the oven, the stove top, and most of the counter. Why they needed so much food was beyond knowledge, but they had it just the same. It was going to be an epic meal.

"Dad, I think we have enough food… but… maybe we need another mouth to eat it all?"

Rodolfo understood now exactly what Manny was talking about; taking his mask off, he knelt down and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "That's a good idea, Manny… you needed to call her anyway."

"What?"

"I've been afraid that you have let your friendship with Frida die… that is not the case, is it?"

Manny stood silent for a time, trying not to show that part of him had indeed attempted such a cruel move. "No dad. Frida's way too important to me. I just… I haven't been telling myself that lately, is all."

"Good," Rodolfo said as he stood straight, pulling the mask back on. Not that it mattered too much, but the thing made him even more ridiculous when paired with the frilly pink apron that he used to cook. "Now, go get dressed and give her a call."

Manny stepped into his room and did just that, tossing his soaked swim suit and towel aside after getting his clothing on. Pulling his belt tight as he approached the phone, he was struck with a sudden hesitation. What he was doing felt somehow wrong… like he should be calling Zoe instead. But his conscience appeared now, telling him otherwise. He couldn't call Zoe, because then he would just be proving that his friendship with Frida wasn't worth as much as he thought. And to even acknowledge something like that would damn him forever. He had his resolve, and with it he dialed not the number of Zoe Aves, but of his best friend, Frida Suarez.

--

_Suarez Residence, 3:20 PM_

--

The house was empty except for Frida and Emiliano, who had taken the day off work after Frida's condition worsened. She started eating less after Tuesday, and that was not something that could be accepted. Emiliano had managed to get her to eat something earlier, but he knew that it wasn't going to be enough. Busy with trying to get his precious Frida out of this hideous depression, Emiliano didn't at first notice the phone was ringing. After the third ring, he picked up the cordless receiver and answered.

"Suarez."

"_Hey Mr. Suarez. Is Fri-?"_

"Rivera!"

Emiliano roared that so loudly he was sure Frida could hear. Remaining silent to check if there were repercussions, Chief Suarez glanced at the entrance to the living room, trying to see if Frida was coming down the stairs. When there was nothing, Emiliano returned his attention to the phone.

"What do you want, cerdo?"

"… _Alright, I deserved that. I want to talk to Frida."_

"Well she doesn't want to talk to you!"

"_Did she say that?"_

"Well," Emiliano started, sinking into his seat a bit as his argument lost strength; "no… she hasn't really said much of anything lately. She's been in a bad state ever since Monday."

There was silence on the other end of the line, as Manny dealt with the severity of his choice. If he wasn't hurting for it before, he was now.

"_Chief Suarez… please, put her on the phone. I have to talk to her."_

Now Emiliano was silent. He held the receiver close as he looked up the stairs again, hearing Frida strum her guitar in her sadness. She hasn't talked much, but sad songs were never in short supply. This was Emiliano's chance to try something, to make Frida happy again. He didn't like Rivera, but he did know that when Manny and Frida were together everything was better.

"Alright… wait just a moment."

Climbing the steps to the second floor, Emiliano heard Frida's guitar more clearly, and each step seemed harder, as if gravity was conspiring against him. At the top of the stairs, the police chief took a deep breath and walked the lonely hallway to his daughter's room. The family dogs, normally aggressive creatures, were lying sadly near her closed door, occasionally whining to communicate their mood. Emiliano stepped over them and knocked on her door, opening it slowly when there was no answer. Inside Frida continued to play her sad song.

"… and there's a place for us… you know the movie song… when you gonna' realize it was just that time was wrong? Juliet…"

Emiliano paused, reflecting on this sight. Now he was sure this was the right thing. "Frida… phone for you." When Frida kept on strumming her guitar strings, staring at her favorite instrument with only sadness, her father decided to go for the gold. "It's Manny."

Frida missed a note and came to a halt when she heard that, and for what seemed like a long time, there was only an uncomfortable silence. After that, Frida only extended her arm, head still bowed, eyes still too tired to move. Emiliano placed the phone in her hand and stepped out, pulling the door shut, and Frida lifted the receiver to her ear. Manny, not knowing that he had been finally transferred to Frida, remained silent.

"… Hola Manny…"

"_H-hey Frida."_

"… What is it?"

"_I just wanted to talk to you… and…"_

"And what?"

"_I wanted to apologize for being such a jerk… I should never have hurt you so bad."_

"No… you shouldn't have."

Though he was forming the words, Manny had difficulty speaking, a first considering how long he and Frida had shared a brain.

"_Frida, I want you come have dinner with me and my family tonight. We're eating at about five."_

"… Will…" Frida began, pausing to keep herself from crying, "will Zoe be there?"

"_No… it's just a family thing."_

"Then why am I invited?"

"_You're my best friend Frida… you're as important as my family. You're almost a part of it; as much as you can be without… without the occasional funny feelings being weird."_

Frida looked up and out the window when she considered the weight of what he said. Funny feelings? Important? This depression was born from the sudden disruption of all of Frida's previously held beliefs about her relationship with Manny Rivera. Deep down, she felt the exact same way for him as he was describing to her. When she discovered how he and Zoe felt about each other, that whole world view was broken asunder. That's where all this hurt was coming from, and now it started feeling a little better. But bitterness had moved in while Frida mourned.

"I don't know if I can do tonight… sorry."

"_But Frida… okay. I understand."_

Without another word, Frida ended the call and tossed the phone aside, returning to her guitar playing. But now the music was hardly music at all; as she played worse and worse, Frida felt herself bursting into tears again. It culminated with her sobbing loudly and slipping off the edge of her bed, crashing her knees to the floor. Emiliano, who had waited patiently in the hall, hoping for the best, rushed into Frida's room when he heard her crash. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her back onto her bed, sitting down beside her. When she stopped crying, Emiliano reached across to her night stand and took a tissue from the box, wiping away the streaks from her face.

"What happened Frida? Why are you crying so hard?"

"It's… it's too hard…"

"Mija… tell me what you talked about. Please."

After sobbing a couple more times, Frida collected herself enough to talk again. "He… Manny wants me to come to his house for dinner… he made it sound so nice, like he wanted to fix everything. I don't know if I can let him."

Emiliano hugged Frida close again, staring out the window and taking in the sight of the slowly changing sky. It seems some clouds would be moving in. He pulled his daughter away and looked at her in a most endearing way.

"Frida… this is what I think you should do…"

--

_Rivera Estate, 5:04 PM_

--

Dinner had been served ten minutes ago… but Manny remained at the phone, hoping for it, willing Frida to call him back, to say she had changed her mind. Not wanting to see this sadness continue, Grandpapi placed a hand on Manny's shoulder, signaling him to come to dinner. Sighing in defeat, he complied. But before he could reach the dining table, where dish after dish laid waiting for consumption, there was the sound of a door bell. Now he was excited, and bounding across the floor, Manny Rivera brought himself to the front door. His hands trembled and his pulse pounded in his ears, but Manny forced himself to reach out and grab the door handle, to open the door. And there she stood, smiling weakly and looking like she had only just showered twenty minutes ago, as though she had not planned to come but changed her mind. Frida stood in the hall, staring at her friend who only smiled at her, eyes accumulating tears. They broke the stalemate for a hug, something they rarely shared because of their mutual dislike of the tension it caused. After the display of affection had ended, Manny and Frida entered the dining room together, ready for the meal that sat before them.


	15. Chapter 15

The reviews I've been getting have been so incredibly cool. They fill me with such an unbelievable will to satisfy my readers. Of course, I must remember the plan. If my sole focus was to make you people happy, I would have stuck Manny and Frida together right away and skipped the rest. Now how fun would that be? That's right.

Just the same, I must finally bring you the storm. I present to you dear readers, the chapter which began it all in my head, version 1.

--

**Chapter 15, the Battle of New Alamo**

--

_Military Command Center, Friday, 12:00 AM_

--

"Lieutenant, that's an order!"

General Fitzgerald stopped and shouted at his second in command for the simple reason of questioning his authority. But Lieutenant Gutierre was not alone in his curiosity; every officer present on top of the police station wanted to know the same thing.

"Sir… all I ask is that you tell us the reason for you leaving."

"My presence was requested…"

"But sir, you have an attack to lead today."

"Gutierre, I need you to lead this attack in my stead," Fitzgerald responded, turning slowly. He gave the lieutenant a look that was both stern and fatherly. "Are you saying that after all your years of service, you aren't ready for this responsibility?"

"No sir." Gutierre stood tall and saluted his general, who returned the gesture. They turned and looked into the night sky when a helicopter came within landing distance of the station, and Fitzgerald backed away as the soldiers on the roof started waving it down. Once it landed, Gutierre accompanied Fitzgerald to the door, opening it for him. He yelled over the roar of the engine. "Give us a report when you land, sir!"

General Fitzgerald nodded before pulling the door shut and giving the woman in the pilot's seat the thumbs up. She nodded in return and the chopper lifted up off the roof. This left the lieutenant in command of the operation, who had no idea what he was getting himself into. As the helicopter flew high above the lights of Miracle City, Nikolai relaxed a bit, shedding off the unneeded details of the disguise. Letting his Russian accent back out, he sighed and turned to the pilot.

"I trust M is ready."

As she was dressed in military garb, it was difficult at first to tell that Voltura was the pilot. She only nodded to Nikolai as they made their way across the black sky. From that point on, the two remained quiet, listening to the radio transmissions of the military units stationed in the city and at key choke points. Once they were outside the city, it was impossible to see anything at all. The moonless sky made sure of that. But Nikolai and Voltura were not in the dark long. It seemed to be only a short time before Voltura checked the instruments and radioed in.

"New Alamo, this is LongRanger 11A5, requesting permission to land."

"_Roger that LongRanger, you are cleared for landing. Proceed to the pad."_

The helicopter passed overhead once, and with its lights one could see three or four individuals moving about, and a single one standing with his hands behind his back. Circling around for the final approach, the helicopter began lowering itself onto the landing pad, coming into contact with the earth with little more than a thud. The door opened and out came Nikolai, face replaced with the smooth, featureless plane that allowed him to do what he did best. Despite the absence of eyes, the shape shifter was more than able to find his way to Maxim. The two walked away from the pad.

"Nikolai, good to see you." Though he greeted his friend and long-time enforcer warmly, there was no return of the sentiment. "Is there something on your mind?"

"I'm concerned about today… the Riveras are strong."

Maxim smiled in the dark, letting the night hide his malice and the thrill of the upcoming battle. "Not that strong."

--

_Edge of Miracle City, 7__th__ Blockade, Friday, 5:40 AM_

--

Lieutenant Gutierre got little sleep last night. He only rested after seeing the general off, and even then it was a light sleep. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch, waiting for the Riveras to arrive. He was not disappointed. They strolled down the walk to the edge of the blockade, looking out into the world, barely lit by the still rising sun. They said nothing to the soldiers. They didn't have to. Everybody knew what their job was, and that brought a strange peace to them all. But the Riveras talked amongst themselves, bracing their spirits for what seemed an epic conflict. White Pantera stepped forward first, looking out across the desert as though he could see the base from here. El Tigre took his place next to him, fists clenched, shoulders back, and face projecting his strong will. Grandpapi, though, had not joined them just yet, spending his extra time looking up at the sparse trees and commenting on the birds. It was only when his son had spoken up that he accepted the time was now. The soldiers at first wondered how this old man could really be the dreaded super villain Puma Loco. Puma Loco was always described as a fearsome behemoth of gold and glory, battling with such fervor and chaos that none dare stand before him. It wasn't until he withdrew into his previously innocuous sombrero and the suit emerged from its compressed state that they understood the full weight and power of the Golden Sombrero of Chaos. Puma Loco stomped his way to the line up and stopped next to his family.

"Okay. I'm ready."

"Me too."

"Alright. Let's go!"

Pantera sprinted down the highway, cleared of traffic two days ago to leave the attack unimpeded. El Tigre hopped aboard his grandfather's mech, patting the glass to signal the go ahead. Firing the jets, Puma Loco lifted into the air and sped off after White Pantera, catching up to the hero who had only just been dipping into the power of his boots. The soldiers watched in awe as the Riveras disappeared into the morning, and after they had gone, a faint wisp of sunlight stretched across the desert, lighting up where they had vanished from sight. After waiting for some time, about twenty minutes, Gutierre checked his watch and waved forward. The vehicles set aside for the attack began moving forward, filing onto the two lane highway leading in the direction of New Alamo. Things proceeded well enough… until the road beneath the first vehicles about a mile up the road were destroyed by powerful explosives. Every hundred feet of the mile, the pavement gave way to the blasts that erupted from beneath it, ruining anything that happened to be near the bomb. The explosions continued for what felt like forever, and when the dust settled and the ringing noise stopped, Gutierre emerged from his jeep and looked out across the highway. Not every unit was destroyed, but there was no way they were going anywhere. The furious lieutenant knew exactly what had happened. He grabbed the nearest soldier responsible for guarding the blockade.

"This road was supposed to be under your watch! What happened?"

"W-we don't know sir!"

"Yes you do, soldier! Tell me who did this! Who was here?"

"No one sir… just the road crews sent by the city."

"The city was under martial law! They couldn't have sent anybody!"

Growling in absolute anger, Gutierre pushed the soldier aside and returned to his jeep, trying to get a signal to the command center. He would need to talk to the general about this. Again his attention was captured by an explosion, this one inside the city. Gutierre stepped out of the jeep and looked up to see the plume of smoke rising from about where the command center stood. Or previously stood. Something else dawned on Lieutenant Gutierre about then, and he turned and looked out into the desert, face drained of all color.

"… The Riveras… are alone now."

--

_New Alamo Facility, Maxim's Command Post, 6:00 AM_

--

Maxim sat sipping his coffee, watching the golden sun rise above the shimmering horizon. Ah, how he loved sunrises. Far more peaceful than sunsets, and a much more refreshing color. Red made the villain unhappy for some reason, despite its constant association with traits that he held dear, such as revolution and power. No, he much preferred gold and blue. Drinking down what remained of his imported coffee, Maxim sighed and smiled, leaning forward to look at the flickering light on the console before him.

"Well, that's good. I was sure I was going to be disappointed."

He pushed a button and lifted a microphone to his mouth. How he loved playing general for these big sieges every country thought would work. It made him feel even stronger in the long run.

"Attention, attention. Our guests have arrived. Let's make them feel welcome before breaking them apart, shall we?"

--

_Outside the Base, 6:00 AM_

--

Tigre advanced first, using his smaller size to some advantage as he scouted around the perimeter. He didn't notice the sensors that tipped off his arrival, but the land mines long buried in the sand between the barb wire barricades were not beyond his sight. He disabled a few of them as he wove his way through the defenses, clearing a path so his father and grandfather could make it through. They remained a distance behind not wanting to alert the villains with Puma Loco's clunky armor. The alarm dispelled all hopes of that. El Tigre turned and looked to the base, the speakers resounding with an angry tone as the front gate began to open. He gasped when he was snatched up and brought along by Puma Loco, now flying to close the gap. Without the element of surprise, there was no reason to tip toe through the mine field. The Riveras landed in an empty space, and they all watched a small force of combat drones marched one after another out of the base. Grandpapi shook his head, feeling slightly angry by the enemy's underhanded tactics.

"Robots… what ever happened to the days when men didn't rely on machines to do all the work?" He fell silent after noticing his son and grandson staring at him, and closed his eyes while turning his head up. "Do not judge me."

"… Right. Come on, they're not gonna' break themselves!"

El Tigre charged ahead, not considering any of the possible side effects of rushing head first into battle. After all, M was playing with a stacked deck. Before either Puma Loco or White Pantera could join him in combating the machines, they were cut off by the appearance of a large, very nasty looking monster. It had leaped down in front of the elder Riveras from atop the base, and now crouched before them. With frightening pops its form grew before them, arms extending from a tucked position and legs lifting its body to full height. There stood before them the completion of M's biology experiment: the fully mutated Cactus Kid. No longer human by any measure, the Kid was a perfect cactus-themed killing machine. His legs resembled thick, spine covered trees, and his arms were covered in masses of thorny briar. His huge, three-clawed hands flexed as he smiled, twisting his green face into a grin of horrible evil and pain. The creature roared, and from the ground around Pantera and Puma emerged four foul cactus beasts, growling and gnashing their teeth at the family.

"Well, Papi, you always did like cacti…"

"Si, but where to put them all?"

As they made battle with the Cactus Beast and its minions, El Tigre sliced his way through the combat drones set against him. Their armor was hard, and the attacked quite aggressively. More than once he was pinned down by their constant fire. But once he sliced a few of them down the middle, the biggest of their weak spots, Tigre found the fight was rapidly going in his direction. If this was all that stood between Miracle City and peace, the day would be one no problem. But as Tigre cut his way through another robot, he jumped back when a bright flash erupted near his feet. Another flash and he rolled across the ground, though now he recognized the color. Growling with some combination of disgust and fury, El Tigre looked up and saw his one female nemesis.

"Black Cuervo."

"Hola Tigre," she replied coyly, slowly floating down and landing on a drone's head. All at once they stopped attacking, as though Cuervo was their commander.

"I hoped you'd be here…"

"You did?" Cuervo jumped down from the drone and laced her fingers together, hiding a look of endearment behind her visor. Tigre saw only a sardonic villainess who scoffed at the notion of her crimes.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did."

"Oh…" It wasn't an 'oh' of mild disappointment so much as one of pain. In living her day to day life, Black Cuervo had smothered the feelings of anguish her part in the assassination had brought her. And now the love of her life had reopened those wounds. Anger boiled in her. "Then I suppose this is how it must be."

Cuervo jumped into the air and hovered there, aiming her laser at Tigre and firing. He was quick; he always was. Once Cuervo was above the drones again, they began to attack the hero as he wove in and out of the blind spots of the mechanical soldiers. Many of them shot each other apart, a key part of El Tigre surviving this fight. Growing more and more furious, losing herself in the battle, Black Cuervo growled loudly with each shot of her weapon, trying to pin him down, and deep down trying to kill him. So great was her focus that Cuervo began to develop tunnel vision, leaving her vulnerable to his attack. The next thing she knew, she was pinned to the ground; El Tigre held her gunning arm down with his left hand, and had his claws to her throat with his right. It was about this time that Zoe Aves came back to the forefront of Cuervo's mind.

"N-no… El Tigre…"

But he did not respond; he wore a scowl as he held her fate in his hands. He wanted to hurt this person under his weight, who had time and time again threatened the security of his friends and family, and now might threaten the safety of his girlfriend. What delicious irony. The hatred wanted this, wanted satisfaction. But El Tigre as a whole did not. He stood again, letting Cuervo go.

"You're not worth it."

He was interrupted by a roar, generated by the fierce Cactus Beast as it reeled about with White Pantera holding tight to its head. Without another thought, El Tigre leaped forward; he was bashed to the ground unceremoniously, one sharp needle caught in his forearm. Sitting forward, Tigre pulled the spine from his flesh. It wasn't a bad wound, but it burned a little. Damned cactus.

"Wait… cactus?" Manny looked up in awe as it all became clear. This was the Cactus Kid, simply at an incredibly mutated level. This explained his advancement at the Carnival. He was interfered with. "Hmph, fine!"

Before Tigre could leap forward though he was knocked aside by his father's body, thrown down from the Beast's head in one final thrash. They both rolled about in the dust a bit, coming to a stop some distance from the beast. As the Riveras pulled themselves up from the dirt, Tigre had to stop and address something.

"… Where's Grandpapi?"

"He decided he would-." There was an explosion or two behind Tigre and Pantera, and following the boom was a wave of cactus goop. After being showered in the remains of the former monsters, the two grimaced as Puma Loco joined them once more. "Take care of the cactus beasts."

"And I did. But I don't hear a thank you…"

The Beast lurched forward and attacked its enemies as they talked amongst themselves, but skidded to a halt when the Riveras divided and ran around its hulking mass. For a moment the Cactus Beast entertained its confusion, but those thoughts were rapidly replaced with anger, and it reared back in a piercing roar. This in turn caused more minions to erupt from the soil, slashing at air with spines and claws. This was going to be endless.

"Manny," Pantera shouted, back up from the creatures, "we can't win this way! To defeat the pawns, we must topple the king!"

"What?"

"You go and get who's in charge!"

Puma Loco picked Tigre up by the waist and hoisted him into the air. Taking a running start, Grandpapi Rivera threw his grandson with incredible force, aiming for the still open door. Cuervo, seeing this, flew hard in an attempt to stop him, to follow her orders, perhaps even to spare him some pain. But Black Cuervo crashed into the earth where El Tigre had passed rather than where he was, and watched from a lying position as he bounced into the base. She jumped to her feet and started running forward, giving up several yards away as the door slammed down, blocking all access. The Riveras were grateful that their youngest had made it through more or less unharmed, but they soon had to deal with the fact that the Cactus Beast was looming over them, drooling with vile hunger. As they turned to face it, their faces communicated shock, which the Beast shared as it discovered it was itself being overshadowed. And before it could turn around, the Cactus Beast was knocked aside by a massive arm of green goo. The very distinctive maniacal laughter that filled the air received even Cuervo's attention, who turned and saw Dr. Chipotle Jr. riding atop a very large Guacamole monster. She growled loudly and clenched her fists so tight it began to hurt.

"Damn it Diego… not now!" Screaming in blind fury, Black Cuervo fired up her jets and flew head long toward the monster.

--

_Inside the Base_

--

El Tigre slid across the metal floor, grinding sand stuck to his clothing as he went. It was a most uncomfortable combination for him, and it all culminated in him hitting a wall. He rolled around dazed for a time, but finally decided he wasn't dead and climbed to his feet. Looking up and down the long hall way, Tigre was not at all sure how to go about finding whoever was in charge and busting them up. Backing up a few steps, he went about selecting the best path in the most effective possible way for those of us who are indecisive: eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Now, of course one could see the fault in picking a direction in this way when you have but two choices if you really cared. But Manny Rivera was not one to care. He started on the left, and ended with the right.

"That settles it. Right," he said with a nod, walking slowly down the path he had chosen. But something happened that he did not expect.

"Manny!"

He stopped dead in his tracks and turned slowly, looking down the other path. He knew that voice all too well…

"Zoe?!"

She sounded scared, or hurt, or both. That was all he needed. Breaking into a sprint, El Tigre charged his way down the other path. He cared little for the security cameras that followed him past monitored areas and ignored the flashing lights and howl of the intruder alarm. All he knew was that he had to find Zoe in this place. He came upon an open room, a very large one at that. It appeared to be some sort of storage room in the complex. At first El Tigre was content with looking around the room, his vision obscured by the low light and support beams blocking sight of his objective. Finally, he spoke.

"Zoe?"

"Manny!"

He turned and ran to the center of the room. Looking down either direction, he spotted Zoe, alone on the floor, bound to it. As he closed the gap to her, he found that she was indeed hurt, but not badly. Just the same, this got his blood to boil.

"Who did this to you?"

"I don't know," she replied, reaching to him. It was hard for her, as her arms were bound in heavy chains that appeared to be attached to the floor. "We have to get out of here before he comes back."

Tigre sliced the chains that held her to the floor and helped her up. Now his curiosity was piqued. "Who?"

The sound of the door closing at the front of the room caused Tigre to jump and spin about, searching out anybody who might be in the room. He was confused when the sound of chains moving came from behind, and panicked when those chains found their place around his neck, dragging him back into Zoe's embrace. One last sound caught El Tigre's attention, and it was eerily similar to the noise his claws made as he bore them in battle. He felt Zoe's lips close to his ear.

"You were too easy."

As Zoe pointed her claws at Tigre's belly, he felt in him the urge to survive, and he spun hard in an effort to secure his freedom. His would be assassin fell to the floor after letting go of the chains that had him gasping for air. Now Tigre had to assess something… what the hell was going on? He held his throat for comfort as Zoe rose again, indeed bearing a claw that looked much like his own… down to the red star on his gloves, in fact.

"Zoe… what? What is this?!"

Still using Zoe's voice and face, Nikolai smiled and responded coldly. "You were always a stupid one, Rivera… I'm really looking forward to this."

"N-no," he said, shuddering as he backed up. "This isn't right… you aren't Zoe."

"Of course I am… but I am also someone else." El Tigre backed up in shock as silver threads emerged from Nikolai's skin, pulling back a key spots and warping others. Eventually the writhing mass reformed itself, and Nikolai roared in dark triumph. "El Tigre!"

Now Rivera was truly in trouble, and he knew it. He was staring at himself, and he couldn't rightly tell if Zoe was truly at the heart of this evil or not. But he had little time to decide as the enemy was rapidly upon him, slashing and growling in an attempt to unmake Manny Rivera. Already a little tired from his efforts to infiltrate the base, El Tigre was unable to do much more than dodge the impostor's attacks. That is, until a flaring pain forced his mind into action. Yelling in pain and clutching his arm, Tigre fell back a few steps as Nikolai let blood drip from his claw. The impostor smiled and flexed the hand that caused the injury, and spoke in Manny's voice.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

After swallowing his pain, Tigre turned and charged, catching the assassin off guard. He sliced across Nikolai's chest, knocking his opponent back with a powerful single strike.

"You tell me!"

But his smile didn't last long. The mimic was injured, but only briefly, as indicated by Nikolai standing tall and smirking as the silver threads that altered his features bound together to close the wound. Little blood escaped the tight lattice the threads provided. As Tigre backed up, his eyes went wide as Nikolai changed shapes again. He leaped out of the way as the shape shifter swung down on him with the massive fists of El Oso.

--

_Outside_

--

Voltura and Lady Gobbler had strict orders: don't move until the Cactus Beast is down. And as the battle progressed, they found those orders to be harder and harder to follow. Voltura was pacing about, worried out of her mind. The arrival of Chipotle and his monster was entirely unexpected, even by M, who ordered them to stick to the plan. It was hard for the elder Aves' to watch their youngest get based around by a pile of dip, and they waited long for a change in orders. But none came. Having had enough, Voltura stepped to the edge of the roof on which they were perched.

"I can't let this continue! I'm helping her!"

"No," Gobbler replied, slowly stepping forward, using her scepter more as a cane than a weapon. She watched her granddaughter fly at the monster again and again, each time lasting a shorter time against it. "I'm going. You watch the Riveras."

Cuervo was indeed losing the battle, not because of a difference in skill level, but from the sheer brute power of the monster. She had managed to get Chipotle's attention away from the Cactus Beast and onto her, but from that point on it was improvised. After slamming into the ground a fifth time, Cuervo contemplated not getting up. Her body ached, and much of her suit stank of sun-baked guacamole. As the monster stomped closer, she pushed up onto her elbows and looked back, seeing Chipotle atop his beast with a grim look. He called down to her.

"It's over, Zoe. Come back to the city and you won't get hurt."

She just stared at him, eyes burning with hatred. He was trying to take something away from her… a sense of power, a desire for a better life, her identity as El Tigre's nemesis and unrequited love. She didn't want to accept that. That's why she stood again, aiming her nearly exhausted laser at him. Her arm wavered a bit, and for some reason her eyes grew cloudy. Tears began to well up in them, though Cuervo could not tell why. But before she could fire, Cuervo's attention was gained by the sound of a jet pack, and she turned to see Lady Gobbler swoop overhead and drop something. A bomb planted itself firmly in the monster as she passed over, and Cuervo looked at it with mild panic before jumping in the air and flying hard. Dr. Chipotle Jr. had to jump off his precious monster, barely hitting the ground before the bomb exploded, scattering his monster across the hot desert sand. Across the battlefield, White Pantera was under a great deal of pressure himself. He watched as his father was cast aside by the Beast, and he himself was being pinned by the creature's minions. Mustering up additional resolve, Pantera pushed forward and scattered the mass of cacti that lashed out at him, and he jumped high into the air. As he began to fall back to earth, he gathered energy from his Bronze Boots of Truth, and kicked toward the Beast below. As if understanding exactly what he was thinking, the power surged forward in the direction of Pantera's kick, and he struck the Beast like a bolt of lightning, crashing through its defenses and breaking its stance. He struck the ground hard after the kick, and wasn't able to see the impact of his attack; the Cactus Beast flailed about attempting to regain control. This was the opening Puma Loco needed, and he took advantage of that, flying toward his foe at full speed. Pointing his left arm at the Beast, the claw was replaced with a tear gas gun. As he flew forward, Puma fired three rounds at the monster, pummeling it with pellets that burst into clouds of gas. It reeled with each blow, not trying to escape the fumes that enshrouded it. After a few seconds of breathing the substance, the Beast stumbled about, coughing madly. It collapsed in defeat at about the time that Puma Loco landed near White Pantera.

"Good job, Papi! Thank goodness you have that sleeping gas!"

Grandpapi glanced at the writing on the arm, reading Weed Killer each time he checked it. "Uhm… yes, sleeping gas."

Without more than moment's rest, the Riveras were immediately under attack again, jerking to avoid being hit by the green and orange beams peppering them from above. White Pantera turned and looked to the sky, scowling as he saw the remaining members of the Flock of Fury.

"This is madness! Where is the military backup?! We can't do this alone!"

--

_Inside_

--

El Tigre spun and struck up, smashing Oso's chin with a powerful upper cut. Injured, Nikolai backed up several steps, letting the Oso form melt away. But rather than let himself be seen as he truly is, he shrunk down into a form that resembled Zoe Aves bearing some of Oso's fur, making it appear that she was indeed at the core of this creature. He remained huddled over, clutching his jaw, forcing out whimpers with her voice.

"M-Manny! How could you do this?!"

He stayed still, trying to fight this subterfuge. But it was hard. He cared for Zoe a great deal, and to see a villain that could look like her and sound like her was disillusioning.

"Zoe… I…"

Tigre jumped into a back flip when Nikolai came at him again, wearing Tigre's form once more. But where he was confident and in control before, the shape shifter was having difficulty maintaining the guise through his anger, and the false face began to ripple with the failing of the shape shifting. This difficulty was spread everywhere, making his attacks less and less threatening. Eventually El Tigre was given an opening, and he took advantage of that; he rushed forward and slashed at Nikolai, making contact and knocking the assassin off his feet. Once he was in the air and falling to the floor head first, Tigre crouched and rolled forward as though he was performing a somersault. But as the tumble broke, he pushed hard with his arms and sprang forward in a strong kick, smashing Nikolai in the spine and sending him bouncing across the floor. El Tigre stood and looked at his impostor, who struggled into a sitting position as the silver threads convulsed and started dragging his disguise away. Frowning in defeat, Nikolai pointed his fist up toward the ceiling and fired it toward a vent, puncturing the structure and dragging him up to his escape. Tigre watched as the shape shifter escaped, tired and angry. The sound of a door opening gained his attention, and thinking it was the exit, Tigre broke into a run toward it. He saw a hall way with flashing red lights through the door, and it was only once he was through it that he realized his mistake. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving only the long hall in front of him.

"What?! Hmph… fine. I'll play along."

--

_Outside_

--

Cuervo landed on the roof where her mother and grandmother were previously stationed, dropping to her knees to relieve the exhaustion. She didn't like the abuse she suffered today… this mission was incredibly hard on her in every possible way. But it soon became clear that there was more in store. She raised a hand to her ear as she overheard a radio exchange. The first voice she did not recognize, and the second was clearly M's.

"_Maxim… I couldn't stop him…"_

"_Are you hurt?"_

"_Da… he's strong…"_

"_Don't worry about it. I'll take him," _M said with confidence, causing Cuervo to shudder. She had no idea what he was capable of… but if he thought he could defeat Manny, could he? _"Just get to the infirmary. I'll handle the rest."_

"_Da…"_

Standing again, Black Cuervo gave into the will of Zoe Aves, and she rushed to the stairs leading to the roof. She had to get inside, had to do something. This all had to stop.

--

_Final Chamber_

--

The door separating this room from the hall closed with a hiss, and Tigre didn't even bother to turn as he heard a large mechanism slide into place behind him. He knew he was locked in here for the duration, and now he knew that whatever that thing in the previous room was, it wasn't in charge. Not if it could've had this kind of security working for it. As El Tigre walked through the large chamber, he surveyed the area. This room was very much like the last one: poorly lit, a few windows high up in the wall letting in sun, and a great many pillars to serve as a distraction. Nothing out of the ordinary. But something caught his attention, triggering one or more of his senses. Turning and drawing his claws, El Tigre stared into the dark, daring whoever lay in wait to emerge. Maxim stepped out of the shadow, smiling. His grey combat garb reflecting nothing about him… but the blue M stamped on the center of the buttoned up jacket certainly said a lot. Maxim's metal-shelled shoes clicked as he walked, generating the only sound in the huge room. He kept his hands behind his back for a time, but brought them forward so he could adjust the black, fingerless gloves he wore any time he fought. Now the two stared at each other from across the gap, neither daring to make the first move. It was Maxim who began, cutting through the air and tension with a grim command.

"Come and get me."


	16. Chapter 16

_My name is Isaac. I leave this note behind in the event of my untimely demise. It is the year 2008, making me 22 years old._

_I have chosen to leave this brief record now because I am certain that my time will soon come. Though those loyal to me, my security force, and dear Nikolai have assured me that nothing shall happen, I admit I am still paranoid. Paranoia… that has been a big part of my life for a long time. I've always been afraid that someone from my past will return and take something from me. My power, my life, or my freedom._

_No one is familiar with my past… I'll let you in on a secret. Until I was 15, I wasn't a criminal. I only just discovered what I could truly do at 13… how could I have had an identity linked to that yet? And do not think I came to be who I am now because of dire circumstances. I chose this road because it was logical. It was natural. The strong should always choose a strong path… which leaves one of two roads. And I just don't have the purity of heart to be a hero. I want too much. And in wanting so much for myself, I have decided my destiny._

_At 15 I stole something in public view… a ceremonial golden gun. The beauty part was that I stole it from a visiting delegate, who had arrived at the UN building in the US for peace talks with another nation. I forget the names of those men involved, which I suppose means they were unimportant. In those days I wasn't even known as M. I had no idea who I was, and until the media began playing off the frenzy that was "the Golden Gun Bandit," neither did anybody else. At 17 I had pilfered enough money from banks, stores, even wallets to fly myself to Russia. In Moscow I met my future right hand man, as well as his owner. He was a mafia boss, and together we spun a brilliant web. Together we sired the first model of M._

_And here I am now. I still want everything the world has to offer. Except immortality, naturally. I don't want to live forever, and certainly I won't try. So instead I think maybe I'll just leave a mark… if I can write history, even just a brief section of it, that would certainly validate my existence. How else can I assure my place? How many people, out of all those who ever lived, have made any difference? Sure, you can list a thousand easy… but there is too much white noise. If you gathered all the people in history who MADE history in one city, you could probably just put them in Tokyo and have room to spare._

_Nikolai once asked me how I intended to change the world. I told him that I was going to be a rule. A maxim. And he understood. But he asked me what I rule I was. That was something I had to think about… and after hours of reflection, I realized how simple I truly was. I am the maxim of victory; I always win. And by believing that I will win, I become unstoppable._

--

**Chapter 16, Invincible**

--

_It is now 2011… M is a worldwide organization of unparalleled power, having representatives in major countries the world over. Only North America lacks major contributors, simply because of the defiant nature of the local crime rings. That won't be a problem, soon. I can assure that. I suppose I should update my "last will" a bit. Somewhat out of date. But I think first I'll snuff out Miracle City's last hope. I don't think any hero will stand against me after I put the broken bodies of the Riveras on display and announce my empire for the world to see. Three years ago I would have never contemplated open war… but now? Without hesitation._

Maxim stood waiting for a response… which made him uncomfortable. Every hero he had ever fought that had any semblance of patience was a hero that left him injured and desperate. And while Maxim knew his enemy had no patience whatsoever, he still felt unnerved. But El Tigre wasn't attacking… in fact he was lowering his hands and giving the villain a curious look.

"Dude," Tigre called out, "you look like a dork."

Maxim looked down at his old uniform. Truer words have rarely been spoken. "Well, I normally have something less "Imperial Star Destroyer" and more "dark superpower," but my good outfit was destroyed in a fire. To be honest, I'm surprised this thing still fits… I haven't worn it since my days in Russia. Lord, that had to be eight years ago."

"Well, just so long as you know…"

"Right. Well, since I'm a dork, I guess it'll be easy for you to beat me. So again," Maxim said, raising a hand and waving Tigre over, "come and get me."

Tigre lifted his claws again, eager to comply, but at the same time unwilling to do so. His father had taught him never to underestimate a foe, and his grandfather always said that the only sure way to avoid doing so was to cheat, thus sidestepping any of the strategy one would otherwise need. But he was in hero mode right now, so the best course of action was simple. He wanted to end this fight quickly, so Tigre started by running hard and fast, aiming to cut down his opponent with a single stroke. Maxim didn't move any more than shifting his weight forward, balling his fist as he did. Hardly a threat, really. But the sudden pain and strange blue flash associated with the punch to his chin left El Tigre wondering exactly what he had been thinking about when a straight run seemed like a good idea. The fighters backed away from one another while Tigre recovered, clutching his jaw and growling to himself.

"Ow. Man, what? Ow!"

"We can stop now, if you like. Besides, I am obligated to tell you one last thing before we really start this whole fighting game."

"Oh?" Tigre turned and opened one eye, glaring at Maxim as let down his guard to adjust his gloves a bit. "Let me guess, you want me to join you."

"No, not really. But at the same time, yes. I'm not the one who wants you to join. A young villainess is. She made it quite clear that I was to offer you this choice, and being a good host, I am obligated to extend said offer, even though I can already tell you're going to say no. But before you say anything, keep in mind I will only ever ask you once. Will you join M?"

Tigre rubbed his chin one last time before looking at Maxim and shaking his head. "No."

"Alright."

Maxim ran forward this time, his footwear clanking hard against the concrete floors. But then he was in the air, twisting his body violently and bringing his foot down on the yet unmoving Tigre. But the sound of metal on cracking cement made it clear… a miss. Seems Tigre waited for the proper moment to dodge the attack and leaped out of the way. The impact sent dust into the air around Maxim, not thick, but apparent nonetheless. He stood slowly, and after reaching his full height started rubbing his thigh.

"Huh… should've stretched a little more."

El Tigre pounced on the opportunity and rushed forward, engaging Maxim in close combat. At first the villain did well, blocking every punch and kick Tigre sent his way. But after connecting one blow with his chest, Tigre managed to break his adversary's stance and push him back several steps. One punch to the jaw, a kick to the knee, a pair of quick jabs to the stomach… and now for the finisher, a roundhouse kick to the gut. Tigre spun around and launched a powerful attack, gasping when Maxim caught him by the ankle. He was pulled towards his enemy with a single, powerful tug, not balanced enough to respond in anyway. Having a good opening, Maxim drew his left hand back, though it wasn't curled into a fist. His fingers were bent inward but he left the palm open, and within that space appeared a swirl of blue light, shimmering in the dark of the room. Maxim forced his hand into Tigre's gut, and he was surprised by the incredible force of the attack. At first it was like getting punched, but instead retracting his arm, Maxim pushed it forward, lifting the hero into the air. Tigre felt Maxim's hand pull away, leaving him floating in the air after the attack, and for a moment it seemed he wouldn't fall down. Time slowed to a halt as he saw Maxim's other hand pull back, conjuring the same blue light and associated force the other possessed. Time sped up again when El Tigre was hit hard in the chest, sending him rolling across the floor into a pillar. He coughed a bit before clawing his way up the pillar, using it to support his weight.

"Who-," Tigre forced through his coughs, "who are you?"

"I have many names… every where I go someone calls me something different. But no matter where I go, I am always one thing: M. Hmm... that seems a little impersonal… call me Maxim. Only my inner circle calls me by that name. Does that make you feel any better?"

"No. Not at all."

Tigre pushed himself away from the wall and walked forward slowly, keeping his eyes on Maxim all the while. Every hit Maxim landed was like three of his… which meant he was going to lose if kept trying direct attacks. So instead he waited for a cue, some sign that meant Maxim would strike. But the American was calm, and now very confident he would win the day. Then Tigre smiled, remembering a trick his dad taught him.

"So, your power…"

"What about it?"

"Nothing… what is it, magic?"

"Huh. Not at all."

"Well, what is it?" Tigre was becoming impatient now. Maxim should've started monologuing or something…

"It's complicated… a kid like you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Tigre passed in front of a pillar, which was perfect really. "Alright. To put it simply, it's all about will power."

Maxim rushed forward and broke his run to kick forward. Though Tigre dodged easily enough, rolling to the side, Maxim continued the kick much as he would if the hero was still there. From his position, El Tigre was able to witness a spiral form at the center of Maxim's foot, just barely painted with the same blue light as all his other attacks. When the kick struck the concrete pillar, it was not just the metal on cement that made the noise. It was the sudden release of the pent up energy, and it cracked the solid material that made up the sturdy support. Tigre was up again before his enemy could get his foot back on the floor, first punching, but soon slashing at Maxim with his razor sharp claws. Not one blow made contact. In a final bid to deal some meaningful damage, Tigre stepped back and bowed his body, lunging forward with both hands to impale this stubborn enemy. His hands were met by Maxim's, who held El Tigre's claws in the rippling pools of energy in his hands. Looking into his eyes, Tigre growled at Maxim, pushing him across the floor to try and break the hold. He failed in this endeavor. Maxim's eyes surged with violent light and the energy that rested in his hands, which looked at first like water, burst into blue flame. He pushed forward himself and sent Tigre through the air. He landed on his back with a rather pathetic sound, leaning forward once he caught his breath. He was getting angry now.

"Are you just messing with me?! You could be doing stuff like that all the time, couldn't you?!"

"I just want you to feel that you're doing well… I hate for people to die unhappy."

About this time, Black Cuervo had found her way to the observation deck in the large chamber where El Tigre and Maxim were trading blows and witty banter. Perched safely above, she had a perfect view of the battle below, and she watched intently to see who was winning. Tigre was down… but that could be anything. He looked angry… that could be anything too. What was really telling was how slowly he got up. He was injured at some point. It was possible that he simply got hurt running the gauntlet to get this far; Maxim spared no expense in making the fortress a living hell to get through. El Tigre leaned forward, drawing his claws again.

"Don't think for a minute you're gonna' win!"

"I know I'm going to win, Rivera. I always win. If I had a birthday for every hero I've killed, I'd be as old as your grandfather."

Tigre's eyes grew wide, and his face twisted into a snarl. "I knew it! Cuervo wasn't responsible for the Golden Eagle Twins! It was you!"

"I'm afraid so."

"But, I, grraah!! I'm gonna' tear you apart!"

Bearing a great deal of anger, El Tigre lunged forward, claws out and arms extended. He slashed at Maxim again and again, who, though blocking each attack, was forced back farther and faster than before. Finally, he managed something. Slicing hard, Tigre broke through Maxim's guard and dragged three claws across his face. Maxim growled in pain and anger, feeling upset not only over the impudence of Rivera's attacks, but over his inability to stop all of them. He's been too lazy in the past eight months… that's how long it's been since he had to fight anybody really worth it. And he grabbed the chance to punish El Tigre for injuring him. After Tigre had slashed at him again, swinging his right hand in a way that made it impossible for the left to do anything, Maxim backed up a step and grabbed his opponent by the elbow, pushing to further and twisting Tigre's body with it. Once his back was exposed, Maxim raised his hand and brought it down over his kidney, striking Tigre to the floor. But that wasn't enough to slate Maxim's anger. Taking El Tigre by the ankles, he dragged him to a nearby pillar. His hands and eyes burned with flames as he focused his will and pulled hard, swinging Tigre up and into the pillar. He fell to the floor coughing and clutching his ribs, which had taken the full brunt of the attack. He could have sworn he felt one of them crack. Cuervo fell to her knees with her hands over her mouth, stifling the whimpers that her throat forced out. Maxim hovered nearby, restraining himself.

"Get up, Rivera." Maxim stared down without mercy, wanting to snuff out his enemy. "I won't hit a man who's down… get up."

"You should've probably hit me before I could do this!" El Tigre rolled over and pointed his claws at the nearby Maxim, who was unaware that one of his opponent's abilities was firing the straightened claws like darts. He had but a moment to raise his left arm against the projectiles, aimed at his eyes. One pierced his arm, and another sliced its way across his left ear. The others flew off into the room, bouncing off pillars or the floor. When Maxim looked to the floor again, he found Tigre had moved. Clever.

"Oh, you are dead. Incredibly so." Maxim slowly wrapped his fingers around the protruding claw, halted from completely skewering his arm by Maxim's power's will to preserve itself. It can only be said to do this because whenever this sort of thing happened, it was never Maxim willing it so. Either that or luck. "I'm going to find you in here, and I'm going to open your rib cage."

As Maxim wandered around the room in search of his prey, El Tigre hid behind a pillar clutching his ribs, gauging the level of safety of his position through the clank of Maxim's feet. Seems the functional power of those metal plates didn't quite outweigh their detrimental values. Maxim's steps slowed down as he drew close, causing Tigre to quiet his breathing and listen carefully.

"You won't last much longer, you know… with each injury you sustain, you grow that much weaker. The injuries I've suffered have thus far only made me stronger. I'm willing to bet that your breathing is labored, your body is burning with exhaustion and pain, and that deep down you're scared."

El Tigre frowned, but was relieved when it sounded as though Maxim was walking away. He released a breath slowly, but soon noticed that there was no longer any sound in the room. A great sense of dread built up within him very quickly.

"Found you."

Not knowing why, Tigre pushed himself away from the pillar on the grounds that it wasn't safe to be there. His instincts were confirmed when a loud crack followed by the breaking of parts of the pillar met his senses. Chunks of concrete fell to the floor from the support, and through the dust came the hunter, walking hastily through the shadow toward his prey. Once in range, he lifted his hand and brought it down on Tigre's face… but Maxim frowned when he felt a hand on his arm. Smirking, El Tigre returned the blow, punching Maxim hard again and again. About the fifth time, as Maxim began to falter, he caught Tigre's fist in his hand and started twisting, and to regain meaningful control he brought his knee into his stomach. Tigre fell to his knees, out of breath from the hit. When he leaned up again, he saw Maxim lift his burning fists into the air, and crumbled when they were brought down on his shoulders. He backed away to look at his craftsmanship. Blood dripped from Maxim's arm, and he spat more of it from his mouth.

"I think you've had enough."

Wiping his lip, Maxim found that one of his teeth was loosened. He had to smile over that; how long was it since he had a challenge like that? There were only two others in the world that could fight that well… of course, they did better, but they also had another decade of combat under their belts. He turned to walk away, leaving El Tigre in a pile on the floor. He paused as Tigre pushed himself up, shaking in pain, gripped with fury. Maxim sighed.

"Fine… I guess you haven't."

El Tigre roared, leaping forward wreathed in green flames. His claws were pointed at Maxim's throat, who had his hands at his side. His body was twisted in an unusual attack stance, but a powerful one. His left foot moved forward, anchoring him. His hands were joined together, the left feeding additional power into the right. Then he pushed forward from his right foot and forced his charged up hand out with his whole body. At this point in the attack, Tigre was put a fraction of an inch from victory; his claws were just barely brushing against Maxim's neck, only just missing the vital blood vessels under the flesh. He was stopped by Maxim's hand, which caught him squarely in the chest. Time again seemed to slow down, for everyone in the room. How very close this had come to Maxim's defeat… but things sped up again after an incredible blasting sound, much like a roar of thunder or the explosion of a bomb. Tigre felt something within him snap even before he was sent back across the floor, rolling to a stop.

"There. Now you're done."

For a time, El Tigre remained slumped on the floor, face on the concrete. When he pushed himself up, he coughed more violently than he had before, and this time it was accompanied with blood. He heaved again and again, coughing up a little blood each time.

"Force Palm. One of my better techniques. Slow, but it gets the job done. You see what I did that pillar over there?" Maxim paused to point at the support beam that Tigre hid behind just a minute or two ago, not caring that he wasn't looking. "I essentially did that inside your body. I can't accurately gauge the damage, but personal experience suggests you have anywhere from five to twenty minutes to get to a hospital. You'll die from internal bleeding, otherwise."

Tears filled her eyes… he had lost. He hadn't just lost; he was dying. Cuervo leaned against the guard rail, biting her finger, trying not to just break down then and there. M… he was taking her love away. El Tigre coughed again, loosing more blood in the process. No longer able to support his torso, he leaned slowly and fell to his side, wheezing through the pain. He looked at Maxim, tears welling up in his eyes. But he couldn't tell why he wanted to cry. Was it because he was hurt? Was he afraid of dying? Was he despairing because he would never see his loved ones again, or because he failed Miracle City? Instead of thinking of answers to any of those questions, instead El Tigre was wondering what Maxim was looking at, not hearing the roar of the jets that distracted him. Turning to the observation deck, Maxim was shocked to see Cuervo flying down upon him. He grew even more shocked when she shot him in the chest three times as she descended, knocking him to the ground. Cuervo landed next to Tigre, standing over him protectively. But as Maxim rose again, angered by her intrusion, seemingly uninjured by her attacks, she moved forward with her plan. Aiming high, she fired what remained of her ammunition; the windows high in the chamber shattered, leaving an opening to the daylight. Cuervo scooped the injured Rivera into her arms and launched into the air, trying her best to handle the carry him along instead of drag him like she used to in their youth. As she fled from the chamber, Maxim stood and stared. The holes in his jacked revealed his pale flesh, unharmed by her attack, probably protected by the same force he used to crush El Tigre like a worm.

--

_Outside_

--

The Riveras and the Aves' were still at each other's throats, each individual worn to the bone from pitched combat. It was a much accepted reprieve when the combatants all turned to watch Cuervo flying over the battle field… but what was she carrying? Voltura was the first to process it.

"Mija… El Tigre?"

"What?" White Pantera paused to look up. He saw his son, battered and ruined. "Manny!"

Though El Tigre and Black Cuervo did not see it happen, the battle they passed broke then and there, neither party wishing to continue. It was just the two of them, zooming across the shimmering desert, surprisingly peaceful despite the dire circumstances. Tigre couldn't help but wonder how he was flying… or why the sky was so very, very blue. Almost purple, if he looked at it the right way…

--

_Miracle City Hospital, Friday, 6:40 AM_

--

Manny could not remember why he was where he was… and he couldn't figure out his exact location either. He heard voices, shouting, and he felt his body moving. He could only stare up, barely taking in the sight of people, their faces in the blurred periphery of his vision. Every now and then he'd see a fluorescent light in the ceiling… was he in a school? He didn't much like school… made him feel sleepy. Maybe that's why he was so tired. He wanted to sleep right now, but every time he started drifting off someone would slap him and say something he couldn't understand. Then they'd flash a light in his eyes. That's not very polite… making him stay awake and then blinding him. At least they were wiping his mouth whenever he'd cough. It felt like his was drooling, so it was good they were helping him clean that off. But it was strange that whenever they'd use the towel to wipe his saliva away it was even bloodier than before. Did he have a nose bleed? A whistling sound came to Manny's ears, and his vision became blurred. Tiredness enveloped him once more… so tired. He just wanted to sleep. As his vision faded, he felt an incredible pain in the whole of his body, and he lurched up, jerking awake. Manny became aware of how much pain he was in, how much he suffered each time he coughed. He became more aware of the sights and sounds around him, the shouting and sound of machinery, specifically that "beep-beep" sound he always heard on hospital shows. Wasn't that for dying people, though? He felt something over his face… a mask or something. He felt the air rushing through it as a doctor squeezed it again and again, and soon he began to fade again. The world became dark… but he wouldn't fall asleep. Manny Rivera would not fall asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17, Life**

--

_Two Weeks Later_

--

A doctor and nurse hovered over the bed of one of their patients, checking his chart and replacing his IV. He's been down for a while now, and has only occasionally showed any signs of consciousness. The nurse took notice of a tiny motion as she finished attaching the fresh batch of serum, and it was only her standing and waiting that allowed her to witness Manny Rivera waking up. At first he only shifted his weight, turning his head away from the light above that plagued him.

"F… five more minutes…"

"Doctor, he's waking up."

Manny tugged at the IV as he tried to roll over, opening his eyes slowly to see what the obstruction was. A tube in his arm… that's certainly atypical. And why wasn't he in his own bed? He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the fluorescent bulbs overhead. It didn't take long for him to come to a conclusion, recalling how badly he had lost the fight.

"This is a hospital…"

"Very good, Mr. Rivera. Now, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Mmm," Manny groaned as he tried to focus. His brain didn't seem to want to function today. "Uhm… four."

"Very good. And now?"

"Two."

"Now?"

"Five."

The doctor smiled and nodded. "Excellent. Nurse, please note that the patient appears to have retained his vision and mental faculties."

"Yes doctor."

The nurse left the room with Manny's chart, leaving the smiling doctor and his exhausted but curious patient. With his free hand, Manny reached up and pressed his forehead, muttering something as he did. His head was killing him… but that was nothing compared to how he hurt when he stretched. He leaned forward, and stopped when his chest pained him yet again. Now he had to ask.

"… What happened to me?"

"Ah, yes. I'll tell you. But first, why don't you lie back down. You are still not fully healed."

Complying, Manny sank back into the bed, feeling no relief from his headache or whatever was making his chest hurt. The doctor pulled a chair beside him and sat down, taking a deep breath before beginning.

"You were brought in with severe injuries. Several blood vessels in your chest cavity were ruptured, causing internal bleeding. We rushed you to the Emergency Room and managed to surgically seal every vessel. Our surgeons managed to save you before you bled out, but your lungs were badly flooded. You're very lucky. Most patients don't survive such a nasty procedure. You've been recovering for the past two weeks. It is… 9:15 in the morning and it's Monday."

"Uhh… two weeks? I've been sleeping for two weeks?"

"Yes, yes you have. And you've been getting visitors every day. Isn't that nice?"

"Who brought me here?" He leaned forward again, sighing when his stitches pulled at his tender skin. "I was in the desert… how did I get to the hospital?"

"Oh, you don't remember… well, a friend of yours brought you in."

"Who?"

"I'm sorry, she asked to remain anonymous, but said that when you were well enough she would meet you on the roof in the afternoon. I think she's visited everyday."

Eventually Manny was overcome with tiredness, and his head found the pillow again. He groaned a little louder this time. "My head's killing me…"

"We'll get you some pain killers right away. I'll inform your family that you've woken up."

It didn't take long for a nurse to find his bed and supply Manny with painkillers, and after that his pain disappeared, allowing him to relax despite the deplorable condition he was in. He rested with his eyes closed, consciously listening to the workings of the hospital, willing there to be something other than noise to entertain his thoughts. Seriously, how's anyone supposed to get better when all they can hear is drama? Would a little music really make things harder? Hours passed… which was something Manny was unaware of. He must have found sleep at some point in the day. When he opened his eyes again, it was because a nurse was standing over him, saying his name gently.

"Mr. Rivera?"

"… Manny…"

"Manny… you have some visitors. Would you like to see them?"

He didn't say anything, but his eyes must've given him away. The nurse smiled and withdrew, leaving him to wake up. When Manny surveyed the room, he saw the golden light associated with afternoons pouring through his windows. This is how he learned he had slept… or at least spaced out like he's never spaced before. He wasn't alone with his thoughts for long. One by one his loved ones entered the room. At first they just huddled around him, not saying anything, just looking at him. He had to break the ice. The silence was just too painful.

"I know what you're thinking," he whispered, "and yes, I AM the bravest chicken player ever."

A smile cracked on each of their faces, though each person was clearly feeling something different. Grandpapi… he felt mirth. Rodolfo showed deep, deep relief. Frida he couldn't quite place. Her smile said happy, but her eyes, welling with tears, said sad. She slowly approached him and leaned over, drawing his head into her embrace. He patted hers in return before she released him and backed away.

"So… what happened? Did we win?"

"No, mijo," Rodolfo replied, looking to the floor in shame. "We were forced to retreat after Black Cuervo took you from the base. The military did not show up until after eight."

"What?"

"They were ambushed shortly after we departed."

"It was a devious trap." Grandpapi turned and looked out the window, watching the windows of the buildings across the street flicker in the sun. "Whoever we were attacking knew our plan from the start."

That was unsettling. It meant that either there was a mole, or M was dug in deeper than anyone had realized. Or perhaps a bit of both. Manny sighed and leaned forward, shutting his eyes tight as he fought through the pain. Frida whimpered as he went, wiping her eyes and holding back the urge to cry. He looked at her and smiled.

"Just a flesh wound… I'll be better in no time."

But Frida didn't stop whimpering. Rodolfo took the cue and nudged his father.

"Manny, your grandfather and I need to talk to the doctors. We need to find out how long you need to stay here."

"Yes. I try to get a good deal on the room."

This left Manny and Frida alone to clear the air, which was in desperate need of clearing. It was silence that made him uncomfortable, but the way she choked back sobs that wanted desperately to escape. Her face began to contort from the pressure of her emotion, and it wasn't long before tears ran down Frida's face, slicing across the smooth surface and leaving faint stains from her mascara. Manny raised a hand to her, and she took a step forward and wrapped her own around it.

"Frida…"

"You almost died… you almost didn't-," her crying started to force its way through the barrier she had set up. "You almost didn't make it. Your dad called my dad after you got out of surgery… they said you- you had a minimal chance of-."

Tugging her closer, Manny brought his other hand over and touched those that clasped his own. She was shaking and cold; in a bid to calm Frida down, he began stroking her knuckles gently. As her sobbing faded, Manny took note of how smooth Frida's skin was… he could do this forever. But then there was an emptiness… her hands were withdrawn, and before he could ask what she doing, Frida wrapped her arms around his body, holding him close and resting her ear on his shoulder. Though he was uncomfortable, he smiled and returned her embrace, breathing peacefully and reminiscing. He recalled the old days, before people like M, when being a hero was fun, when the hospital was just a place for those who were weak, and when he and Frida were inseparable. Perhaps that's why this felt right.

"Frida… don't worry. I'm okay now. A little tender, but I'll be better in no time."

"… I'm still afraid."

"… But you've never been afraid of anything."

When Manny said that, Frida pulled away from him. She looked him in the eye, and he had to wonder why hers were sparkling so tragically, as if there was some emotion that should make her happy that instead brought her pain. Why were her eyes sparkling so? She continued to hold his arm with one hand, gently running her fingers along the other with her spare. He felt right… and then he felt alarm. It all made sense.

"Frida… are you-?"

"Don't say it…"

"But, how long have you been-?"

"Long enough."

"I-," he choked on the words he sought so desperately, trying to make sense of this in vain. "Frida… I'm… I don't know what to do."

She leaned in close and kissed him gently, touching his lips with her own. The gap between them formed again, and her eyes glinted brighter than before, the stars within them amplified by her smile. "You just have to get better, okay? I'll visit you tomorrow."

Frida left him with those words and the emotions that stirred into life following her decisive action. Conflict bubbled within him. On the one hand, he had his relationship with Zoe. For some reason the red lilies on the stand beside him suggested she was visiting him as well. On the other, Frida had revealed something wonderful that everyone suspected, except him for some reason. He sank back into his bed, clutching his mouth as if it had been burned.

"I… what am I gonna' do?"

Manny turned and stared at the flowers beside him. He couldn't just abandon Zoe because Frida was slow to the gun… but could he just let Frida continue suffering? Of course not. But he was stuck in a situation where no matter what he did he'd cause someone pain. It was times like this that Manny wished he had paid more attention to those talks about the "right thing" his father had always gone into.

--

_Miracle City Hospital, Monday, 7:30 PM_

--

The hours passed slowly after Frida and his family left, assuring him they'd return tomorrow at the same time. During those hours, Manny continued exercising his chest, finding that each time the burning was less so. He was happy to hear that he was healing admirably… and he might even be free to go in another week, but that the following therapy would probably be difficult for him. Something about bone mending making life hard. But as he watched the clock on the wall, his ears perked up, sensing something outside the hospital. Normally he could hear the occasional helicopter, either flying overhead to some unknown location or coming to the hospital to drop off another unfortunate individual, but what he heard was different. It sounded like jets. He leaned up and looked out the window. He saw nothing… but the sound was certainly clear. Manny knew it was her, and that she was close. And he knew that he had to see Black Cuervo and put this to rest. He peeled off the blanket that had kept him warm for so long, and when the air conditioned breeze hit his bare legs he immediately began to shiver. The cold got worse when his feet touched the frigid floor, causing him to retract his legs the first time he touched it. Maybe he should plan this out more… he pulled the IV needle from his arm, wincing a little from the sting associated with it. He bled little, ignoring the stinging sensation as he sought out his clothes in the room. It took some time, as he wasn't particularly creative with the searching, but he did find his articles in a drawer. He donned his shirt, jacket and pants, slowly pulling his belt through the loops as he looked out the window. On the roof of the building across the street… her visor was unmistakable. After he pulled his boots on, she jumped from her perch and took flight once more, and Manny could tell she landed on the hospital. He snuck from his room, narrowly avoiding the nurses as he made his way to the stairs. Once there, he decided maybe the elevator was better. He rode along with a nurse for the first floor, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She glanced at him.

"Are you here visiting someone?"

"Uhm, yes. 'Fraid so."

"Well you better hurry, hours are almost over."

"Thanks… oh, heh, here's my floor."

Elevator, not as easy as advertised. Stairs it is. After the first flight, he was already winded. Two weeks in a hospital following serious injuries was a lot harder than he thought it was. Just the same, Manny forced his way to the top of the building, slowly pushing the door open and stepping out into the evening air. He advanced across the gravel without noticing her. Black Cuervo saw him though, and slowly stood atop the roof access for the stair well, watching him with tearing eyes and a loving smile.


	18. Chapter 18

_I hate you. I hate you, El Tigre!_

… _I am such an awful liar. But I do hate what you do. You never look at me. Not the way I want you to look. When I do catch your eyes, it is always boredom or pity I see. Why? Why am I not enough for you? What must I do to win you?_

_I hate that you don't talk to me except when you want to use me. But I love it when you use me. It makes me feel… bad, when I think of the ways I want you to use me. But when I think of the ways that you do use me I feel… broken. Or incomplete. Do you know what that's like? No, you wouldn't would you?_

_I hate that you love her without knowing it. I want you to love me. Every night I cry myself to sleep, wishing you would love me. I have so much to give you… so much more than she has to offer. Why can't you see that? Why?!_

_I hate that the only way I could have you is by going to someone else. The devil is not one to keep a fair deal. And he didn't. No sooner did he give you to me did M turn around and try to take you away. And you know why I asked him to help me? Because you are so blind… you can't see me in front of your very eyes._

_I hate everything about you! But I love you… and I hate that I love you, but I love that I hate you! I care so much about what you think, Manny…and it's driving me crazy!_

--

**Chapter 18, Breaking Point**

--

It never works out like it does in your head… you always plan it out perfectly. They either say exactly what you want them to say or say nothing at all. Nothing ever interferes with the plan in your head. And they always understand what you are trying to do and say. It goes perfectly, and in the end you are always happy. But it never happens that way, does it? Manny looked out across the hospital roof, waiting for her to show her face, waiting for whatever it was that was meant to happen here and now. He knew she would land behind him… no matter what direction he was facing. That was just Cuervo's style; attack from the blind spot. So, in a bid to retain absolute control over the situation, Manny faced forward, not even trying to find Black Cuervo, forcing her to make the first move. And for some reason, Manny thought this evening would be about combat. There was a sound behind him, exactly what he was waiting for. Cuervo had jumped from her spot on the stair well and the gravel shifted loudly with her landing. Without a second thought, Manny spun his buckle and roared. Transformed, he spun on his foe, claws extended.

"Black Cuervo, face- gahh!"

He tipped over as he spun, clutching his chest violently and almost falling flat on his face. But something happened he did not expect. He was in someone's arms, someone strong, independent, and dressed in black. Manny looked up into Cuervo's eyes, seeing not the malice he expected, or sick satisfaction at his weakness… he saw concern, sadness, and tears. She bit her lip as she lifted him to his feet.

"Oh Tigre… you shouldn't be up. You're not better yet."

"I'm fine."

He pushed away from her, which actually hurt Cuervo a bit. She was only trying to help him, and he was still bitter from who knows what. She shuddered a bit and took in a deep breath, calming down with the cool air in her lungs.

"I came here to tell you something important…"

"Oh? Well, I'm all ears."

"You…" Cuervo bit her lip and clenched her fists. She needed to say it. "You have to get out of town."

"… What?"

"M let you live… which means he's giving you the one chance to go and never come back."

"What do you mean 'let me live'? I got away, didn't I?"

"You don't think that he could've had you killed while you were here?! He's everywhere, Rivera!"

She was shaking again… or at least her fists were. Never mind the fact that she was the one that saved his life. It really was the truth. M was being either gentlemanly or foolish, and giving El Tigre a free ticket. But there was no way he would take it.

"Miracle City is my home. I'm not leaving it to him!"

"You Riveras are so stubborn."

"At least we don't sell our home out! Look at you! You're like his pet, or something!"

"Shut up!" Her laser was out in a flash, aimed and charged. But for some reason, Cuervo's eyes were closed and she was whimpering. Manny recognized that whimpering… it was just like Frida's.

"Are you… afraid?"

"No… I'm just… M told me to kill you if you don't leave… and I can't."

She was crying now, and not just a little. Her laser was disarmed and she fell to her knees, tightening her fingers on her thighs and crying hard into the night. But Cuervo was not comforted as she wept… that made her cry harder. What did she have to do to earn something from him? Why was he treating her so awfully? She did feel something though… he was close by. Standing over her, Manny contemplated simply embracing her. He didn't like to see young women crying. But he was already in a love triangle… would this make things worse?

"Cuervo…"

"Please… just leave. I'll take you from here myself. But you can't stay. He'll kill you. He'll break you in half!"

"I can't just leave… there are people here. People that are important to me."

"People?"

"My family, and my friends, and my… my girlfriend."

"Zoe Aves…"

"How did…?" Manny backed up a step as he looked at Cuervo. She rose to her feet and stared at him. Rather than make the obvious jump in logic, Manny instead chose to entertain the notion that Cuervo had been spying on him all along. "How exactly did you know about that?"

"Tigre… Manny. If I swore to you that if you left Miracle City that Zoe Aves would be there with you… would you leave?"

"How can you promise something like that?"

"I can because I'm M's agent. I am negotiating on his behalf. If I promised that, would you leave Miracle City?"

Manny looked to the ground; this was definitely a serious meeting. And he had to really consider this. He cared a great deal for Zoe… would he feel right in leaving Miracle City behind, keeping her with him as a consolation? "I… Cuervo, I… I can't."

"… Manny. Why not?"

"Zoe's not the only one who's important to me. Frida, my family… I can't just leave them."

"… So," Cuervo started, whimpering pathetically as she spoke, "I'm not important enough for you?"

"What?"

There was a pause. The two remained quiet, just staring at each other. As the wind brushed past him, Manny felt a great cold in his gut. In an instant everything made sense, and he remembered the days long passed when he had actually thought…

"Zoe?"

For a time Cuervo stood stock still, not wanting to do anything that would blow her cover. She had always been trained not to reveal her secret identity… and now she had to fight against that training. He knew because she wanted him to know. Finally, Cuervo raised her arms to her helmet and pushed it off, lifting away the equipment that had for so long hidden her face from the world. As Zoe's hair fell loose from its confines, gently masking her tear-filled eyes, she let her helmet fall to the ground. Manny's mouth was slightly open; the wind stopped blowing.

"Zoe…"

"Manny, before you-."

"Let me finish." Manny closed his eyes and dropped his head. He wasn't sure if it was anger in him, or disappointment, or anything he had ever before felt. "Zoe Aves is Black Cuervo."

"… Yes."

"For as long as Black Cuervo has existed."

"Yes."

He had one question caught in his throat. One question that made all the difference to his path, though he didn't know it yet. True, he felt betrayed. He felt angry. But he had no idea how much of those two things he should feel. Should he feel worse? Should he feel… hate?

"Was it all a trick?"

"Was what a trick?"

"Don't pretend that you don't know!" He shouted at her, raising an accusing finger. She cringed a bit and let out a sad moan. "Were you using me?!"

"No! Of course not! Manny, I lo-."

"Don't say it! Don't you say it!"

"But I do…"

Zoe cried and clutched her chest. She felt cold inside, like she had been robbed of her heart and all that was left was the emptiness. He doubted her so much. Had this happened years ago, when they were still just kids, this would have been so much easier… he wouldn't have to have any reasons not to doubt her. But in the past month, they had built something together, however small it was and brief its time. Combined with their pasts…

"Manny… please."

"Please what?" His voice was filled with poison. It seems the sense of betrayal had filled him.

"I love you… I love you so much that I gave my will to him."

"Why'd you go to him?" Manny raised his arms aggressively. "Why didn't you just talk to me, huh? Like a normal person!"

"… I didn't think you would accept me… and when he gave me the help I needed, it worked. You… you fell in love with me."

He was silent… was it true? Did he fall in love with her? He couldn't tell. But judging by how bad he felt now, he must have felt something. He thought back on the days they shared. They were happy then, weren't they? Yes, of course they were. But…

"It was a lie, Zoe. You deceived me."

"I did not! I told you everything I felt. Everything! Not one word I said was a lie!"

"It was still a lie. You tricked me. You and M."

"If I could take it back I would… even if it meant I would never have meant anything to you."

"… No you wouldn't."

Zoe shed more tears, lip quivering in silence. This was the silent admission that he was right, and he took it to heart. Turning a half step, he kept his green eyes fixed on her.

"Zoe… I did love you. But that was before I realized how selfish you could be." He completely turned from her and walked to the edge of the roof. Injured or not, he was leaving in the way he wanted. He stopped walking when he heard a click and a buzzing noise. He turned his head to glance back. "What do you think you're doing?"

Zoe had drawn her laser on him again, and in the moonlight Manny could see her tear-stained face; she looked broken. But he felt nothing for her now. Her arm shuddered gently as she struggled to maintain a fix on him.

"Manny, please don't go. Come with me instead! We can leave together, leave M behind. We can go somewhere where he won't find us!" She inched forward, becoming a little more hysterical as she got closer. "Please? Please?"

"I'm not going to do that, Zoe. And deep down, you know exactly why."

"Then," she swallowed hard, choking on her words as she went, "I h-have to kill you."

Only the sound of Zoe's weapon permeated the following silence. Not even the wind disturbed them. But as the seconds added up, Manny turned and faced away from her once more, and started walking to edge of the building.

"Manny, no!"

He stood at the edge and looked down. Never before did he feel such conviction, such righteous fury. But at the same time this all felt very wrong. Though he was conflicted, he did not acknowledge the struggle in his soul. Manny raised his arms as he began his dive, then jumped off the roof with perfect formation. As he disappeared from her sight, Zoe crumbled into dark oblivion. Tears streamed down her face and she aimed her laser high. She screamed at the top of her lungs, firing madly into the sky. When her ammunition ran dry she continued to hold the trigger, not even giving a thought to stopping. It was only when her body gave way beneath her that Zoe Aves let go of the trigger. She fell to her knees crying, then to her side, and then rolled to her back. She clutched her face so hard she thought her skin would tear, but that mattered so little to her right now. She was without him… the love her of life. And as he stormed off into the night, Manny Rivera could think of only one thing.

"M is gonna' pay…"

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**To be continued…**

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That is the end of Line in the Sand. I really hope you enjoyed it. But as you can see, it is not over. Why would it be? Who said it was?! ... Anyway, I'm going to open a forum about the story where you, the readers, can tell me what you liked, didn't like, and are hoping to see in the sequel: Clean Fall.

I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the reviewers who were with me from start to finish: acosta perez jose ramiro, greenpanic6, oh so avpc, eltigre221, and SuperMacho. But of course, I must also tip my hat to all the readers who did not leave reviews. Thank you for both not leaving hurtful replies and for cranking up my hit count. +1300 hits for a story like this is something that I'm proud of.

Exit disclaimer: if I had ownership of El Tigre, none of you would have ever seen it. I'd have kept it for myself, and just laughed and laughed and laughed.


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